The Brave1 defense cluster has postponed the third Defense Tech Valley, Ukraine’s largest international defense technology summit, which was scheduled to take place on September 16-17 in Lviv.
The Brave1 defense cluster has postponed the third Defense Tech Valley, Ukraine’s largest international defense technology summit, which was scheduled to take place on September 16-17 in Lviv.
The cluster officially announced this on social media.
The reason was the tragedy of last week: a missile strike on a training ground in the Kyiv region claimed the lives of Ukrainians. According to the investigation, on July 24, the Russian army launched a ballistic strike on a private training ground in the Buchansky district, where an arms exhibition with the participation of representatives of the defense industry was taking place — 10 people were killed, about 100 were injured. The Prosecutor General’s Office opened proceedings under the article on improper performance of official duties during the organization of the event.
Brave1 emphasized that they had no connection to the organization of that event at the training ground, but expressed condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased. The cluster noted that they themselves regularly conduct field tests, industry demonstrations, and large-scale defense and technology events, and the safety of participants has always been a priority — each major event is organized in close coordination with the relevant authorities, and field tests are conducted according to strict safety protocols.
Brave1 emphasized that defense innovation activities must continue — they are critical to accelerating the development, testing, and implementation of technologies that give Ukraine a technological advantage on the battlefield. At the same time, according to the cluster, recent events have clearly shown that both the state and the defense industry must review existing practices and jointly develop a new standard for organizing such activities in wartime. Brave1 announced its intention to play a key role in this process.
The third Defense Tech Valley was to bring together officials and representatives of the defense sector from dozens of countries and become a platform for announcing new investments in Ukrainian defense tech. The event is jointly organized by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Brave1, and the DefDev charitable foundation.
Last year, in 2025, Defense Tech Valley gathered over 5,000 participants and attracted over $100 million in investments in record funding rounds.
Brave1 assured that the event will return with new dates and an updated format. The cluster promises to contact all partners and participants individually with further details.
It was previously announced that the IRON DEMO 2026 defense technology exhibition, which was planned to be held on August 28-29 in Lviv, will not take place.
And the Kyiv Miltech Conference 2026, which was supposed to take place at the end of August, has been postponed to a later date. The conference is planned to be held in a secure underground location. Organizers are reviewing security protocols, and all purchased tickets and agreements with speakers and partners remain valid.
