From apps to drones: Baltic founders build tools for a new security era as Russia threat grows
Baltic startup founders are increasingly developing defense technologies, such as drone guidance systems, to address security threats from Russia. These entrepreneurs are filling gaps in traditional arms manufacturing by creating scalable, high-tech solutions for modern warfare.
Why it matters
The shift toward agile, startup-driven defense technology is changing how NATO members approach regional security and deterrence in the face of hybrid warfare.
VILNIUS, Aug 2 — When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Rapolas Markevicius was managing a private equity fund in Lithuania, a Nato member on the alliance’s eastern flank that fears it could be Moscow’s next target.
Four-and-a-half years later, his new startup Pdkinematics builds precision guidance systems that help drones strike targets more accurately even when GPS signals are jammed, with the technology supplied to Ukraine and its European allies.
He is among a growing group of startup founders in the Baltics seeking to strengthen the region’s defence capabilities as Nato’s eastern members face hybrid threats from Russia and its close ally Belarus.
“The beginning of the war was kind of a call for action for us,” Markevicius told AFP.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in