Authors

Victoria Vdovychenko¹;  ¹ University of Cambridge, UK

Discussion

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has transformed Central and Eastern Europe from a geopolitical periphery into the emerging security core of Europe. This article investigates how Ukraine’s wartime innovations—particularly the integration of unmanned systems, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital command networks—are reshaping deterrence practices, economic resilience, and strategic autonomy within the region. Applying the analytical framework of the strategic trilemma—the necessity to balance sovereignty, deterrence capacity, and economic viability—the paper explores how Ukraine’s defence-industrial mobilisation and technology-driven deterrence strategy constitute both a response to existential threat and a catalyst for Europe’s collective adaptation. Ukraine’s capacity to convert technological creativity into credible defence capabilities has generated doctrinal shifts within NATO and the European Union, positioning the region as a source of strategic learning and industrial resilience. Ultimately, the paper argues that Ukraine’s experience marks the reconfiguration of Europe’s security geography—where technological ingenuity, rather than geographic centrality, defines the new core of deterrence and defence.