Ukraine’s survival against Russian invasion has depended on innovation and strategy. It also depends on more support from the U.S. or NATO countries. According to Maryna Hrytsenko, a deeper U.S.–Ukraine cooperation on defense technology, manufacturing, and maritime security is especially needed.
Hrytsenko is co-founder and executive director of the Snake Island Institute, an organization to connect Ukraine’s defense community with American industry and policymakers. “We create a middle ground between U.S. and Ukrainian defense and security,” she says.
She was born into an Air Force family and has years of U.S. experience that began as a high-school exchange student in Shreveport, Louisiana. “America is my second home,” she says. “I study there, I work with Americans, and I learn that democracy rests on institutions.”
The institute’s name comes from Snake Island, which stands at a gateway between the Black Sea and global trade routes. “People know Snake Island as a symbol of resolve,” she says, recalling the defiant stand of Ukrainian troops at the war’s outset. “But it is also a very strategic place in maritime trade.” She notes Ukraine’s surprising naval achievements. “We control 30% of the Black Sea without a navy,” she says. “We do it with maritime drones.”
Partnerships, in her view, begin on the front lines. “If a new technology in drones is not tested in Ukraine, is it battle-proven?” she asks. The Institute links American companies with Ukrainian units for rapid feedback. “We facilitate testing to make sure it is useful,” she says. “It helps us get better tech and helps American companies build products they can use worldwide.” She also warns against misuse. “Some companies say ‘battle-tested in Ukraine’ and mean Russia. We must stop technology that moves from America to Russia to China to Iran.”
Manufacturing is the second pillar, according to Hrytsenko. “We need joint manufacturing that reduces dependence on Chinese parts,” she says. Drone operators complain they cannot fly at night because optics come from China. “They tell me, ‘Why can America not make this with us?’” She envisions Ukraine producing far more drones than it consumes. “We can create ten times more than we use. We are ready to give.”
Ukrainians, she says, equate strength with a chance for peace. “My grandfather says this ends because of strength,” she says. She supports a high-stakes trilateral meeting–Ukraine, Russia and the US–if it forces clarity. “They only understand threats,” she says of the Kremlin. “We are ready to reform, be stronger, export, and be a partner,” she says. “We cannot see more people dying.”
Her personal story mirrors the country’s. From Kharkiv, she lost her grandparents’ home in occupation and works with units that disappear between visits. “I love my country,” she says. “You do not give away your home; you protect it.” Friends who could work anywhere return to Ukraine. “They choose this,” she says.
She also says that allies must stand united. “We fight Russia,” which operates with North Korean and Chinese help. “That axis cannot set a precedent,” she says. She cites Russian planning documents that anticipate war with NATO by 2030, and the moral stakes include abducted children. “They launch a marketplace for stolen Ukrainian children,” she says. “We must be united. Partnership is not just taxpayer money. Build together, buy together. We are ready.”
The Snake Island Institute’s next steps will bring more opportunities for collaboration and shared technology to America. “We bring… active-duty military—drone pilots and EW professionals—to share lessons,” she says. A California event will invite U.S. companies to pitch directly to Ukrainian operators. “Immediate feedback builds real partnerships,” she says.
