Ukrainian defense-technology company "General Chereshnya" and Finnish conglomerate Patria have signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of unmanned systems. According to the document, the parties plan to establish production of Ukrainian drones on Finnish territory — both for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and for European customers. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the press service of the Ukrainian company. The memorandum became one of the key outcomes of the meeting in Kyiv between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, where the heads of state took part in a round table on Ukrainian-Finnish defense cooperation.
What "General Chereshnya" Produces and What Patria Offers
"General Chereshnya" specializes in the development and serial production of strike FPV drones, fiber-optic unmanned vehicles, interceptor drones, and fixed-wing UAVs. The company has gained significant experience under the conditions of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, where its products undergo constant combat testing and refinement. Finland's Patria, for its part, has been operating in the defense industry for over a century, owns half of the shares of Norwegian Nammo, and manufactures equipment for land, maritime, and air systems across Europe. According to Stanislav Gryshin, co-founder of "General Chereshnya," combining Ukrainian combat experience with Finnish production infrastructure creates the foundation for scaling the defense capabilities not only of Ukraine but also of European countries.
Details of the Agreement and Its Strategic Significance
The arrangement provides for the localization of Ukrainian unmanned technology production in Finland and its further development using the Finnish industrial base. As Mikko Leino, Executive Vice President of Patria, noted, "unmanned defense systems will play a central role in the future of defense." The company "General Chereshnya" itself emphasizes that launching production in Finland will allow Ukrainian technologies to be scaled through the infrastructure of one of Northern Europe's largest defense manufacturers. "Patria has been working in the defense industry for over 100 years, owns half of the shares of Nammo, and manufactures equipment for land, maritime, and air systems in Europe. Now, this infrastructure is joined by our experience in mass-producing drones for real combat tasks and rapid refinement cycles based on frontline data," the Ukrainian company stated.
Political Context: Zelenskyy and Stubb at the Round Table
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the signing of the documents during a meeting in Kyiv with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. According to the Ukrainian leader, "our companies signed documents on the development and manufacture in Finland of drones for the needs of Ukraine and Europe, the development of capabilities in the field of maritime unmanned systems, and the creation of an enterprise for producing ground-based robotic complexes." Thus, the "General Chereshnya" — Patria memorandum is part of a broader package of arrangements that also covers maritime UAVs and ground robotics.
Embedding Ukrainian Defense-Tech into the European Defense Architecture
The cooperation between "General Chereshnya" and Patria could become one of the exemplary cases of integrating Ukrainian defense-technology developments into the European defense-industrial infrastructure. Since the start of the full-scale war, Europe has been increasingly leveraging Ukrainian experience in creating and deploying unmanned systems, while localizing production on the territory of NATO states helps overcome logistical and regulatory barriers. For Finland, which in recent years has significantly increased its defense spending and expanded industrial cooperation with Ukraine, such a partnership strengthens the country's position within the European defense cluster. For Ukraine — it opens access to stable production capacities and supply channels for European customers that are independent of frontline logistics.
