Ukraine Is Losing Its Tech Edge to Russia, Former Google CEO Says

Ukraine risks losing its technological advantage over Russia as Moscow adapts its weapons and expands military production, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt warned Wednesday, Sept. 9.In an opinion column for The Washington Post, Schmidt said Russia was moving toward a strategy of “total war” by mobilizing its factories and manpower while developing technologies to counter Ukrainian innovations.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Schmidt, who now chairs the Special Competitive Studies Project, said he has repeatedly traveled to Ukraine and helped its military develop battlefield technologies.He wrote that Ukraine’s main advantage during much of the full-scale war was its ability to develop, test and modify new weapons within weeks. Decentralized networks connecting Ukrainian soldiers, engineers and defense technology companies allowed Kyiv to innovate faster than Russia’s larger military bureaucracy.That advantage is now “rapidly diminishing,” Schmidt warned.After Ukraine developed interceptor drones capable of destroying Russian Shahed-type drones, Moscow began deploying faster jet-powered variants that are significantly more difficult to intercept, he said.Russia is also developing a satellite constellation intended to rival Starlink, which Ukrainian drone units use to target Russian forces in occupied territory.While Russia previously relied primarily on its larger industrial base to counter Ukrainian innovation, it is now combining mass production with its own technological advances, Schmidt wrote. Other Topics of Interest Russia Sends Bones of Medieval Warrior to Ukraine Front to Boost Morale The Russian Orthodox Church has sent a fragment of a medieval prince’s right hand to Russian troops in occupied Ukraine, saying the relic will strengthen morale. Drones can become obsolete within monthsSchmidt described a battlefield where thousands of unmanned systems conduct reconnaissance, transport supplies and hunt soldiers and vehicles.He wrote that around 80% of Ukrainian military casualties occur while troops are moving between positions. Some soldiers remain underground for months after reaching the front because movement above ground has become extremely dangerous.Weapons are also becoming obsolete at unprecedented speed. A drone that proves effective when introduced can become virtually useless within months if the opposing side changes its radio frequencies, deploys electronic warfare systems or develops faster interceptors.Ukraine remains highly effective at adapting its technology, Schmidt said, but innovation alone cannot meet the scale of demand created by a high-intensity war.One Ukrainian commander told Schmidt that his unit had stopped looking for additional targets because it lacked enough drones to strike those it had already identified.Schmidt argued that producing hundreds of highly advanced drones is less valuable than manufacturing effective systems in the hundreds of thousands.Schmidt urges West to expand Ukrainian productionRussia is building the capacity to manufacture weapons in enormous quantities and is considering another large-scale military call-up that Ukrainian officials expect could occur this fall, Schmidt wrote.He warned that the coming winter would be critical as Russia exploits Ukraine’s shortage of air defenses capable of intercepting ballistic missiles to strike power plants and electrical substations.Ukraine cannot match Russia’s manufacturing capacity without substantial Western involvement, Schmidt said. Kyiv urgently needs air defense interceptors, ammunition and long-range weapons, alongside investment to expand domestic production.He urged Western governments to treat Ukraine’s defense industry as an extension of their own by jointly manufacturing weapons, resolving supply-chain bottlenecks and ensuring Ukrainian commanders do not have to ration attacks because of equipment shortages.Closer integration with Ukraine’s battle-tested military would also allow Western armed forces to learn lessons about modern warfare and prepare for future security threats, he added.“Lauding Ukrainian resilience is not a strategy, and courage alone cannot defend its cities or win its war,” Schmidt wrote. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.