Ukraine's Ex-Defense Minister Fedorov and Lasar's Group Founder Launch Anti-Drone Missile Firm

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's former defense minister, and Pavlo Yelizarov, founder of the Lasar's Group drone unit, have created a defense company called Mission Defense Partners, which aims to build cheap missiles against Russian drones. Yelizarov described the venture in an interview with the Ukrainian tech outlet DOU, published on November 11, according to DroneXL.

Militarnyi reported that the two decided to start the joint project after Fedorov left office. Yelizarov had by then resigned of his own accord as deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force. He had earlier founded and led Lasar's Group, a special unit within Ukraine's National Guard.

The company has three co-owners, according to both outlets. Yelizarov holds roughly a third and Fedorov is another co-owner, while the identity of the third partner has not been disclosed.

Missile aimed at Shahed drones

DroneXL reported that the company wants an all-weather missile able to destroy Russian Shahed drones at a cost of $20,000 to $25,000 each. Yelizarov told DOU that short-range missiles are among the most painful gaps in Ukraine's arsenal and that the country cannot currently build one with a 15-kilometer range and a radar seeker.

An interceptor drone developed by Mission Defense Partners, as photographed by DOU. Photo: DOU

DroneXL noted that some English-language reports treated the 15-kilometer figure as a specification of the company's product. In the interview, it said, the figure describes a capability Ukraine lacks, and Yelizarov gave no range for the missile his company is developing. Militarnyi's account presents the short-range missile with a radar seeker as a planned product.

The company also plans to hire civilian specialists and work on software, artificial intelligence and drones, Militarnyi reported. New solutions are to be tested and fielded by Lasar's Group military personnel. Yelizarov also presented an interceptor drone developed by the company.

Investors and production capacity

According to DroneXL, Fedorov named Palantir CEO Alex Karp in September as the first big backer of a company he was setting up. Yelizarov told DOU that agreements with Palantir under an investment program for Ukrainian startups have not yet been signed. DroneXL added that the interview does not say whether Mission Defense Partners is the company Fedorov announced in September.

The firm is built on a civilian drone factory that has supplied Lasar's Group since 2022. Yelizarov said the plant employs up to 1,000 people and runs at 30% of capacity. He is calling for a simpler export procedure for buyers in the EU and NATO countries, under which sellers would report the contract and quantity and then ship, DroneXL reported.

Fedorov previously announced a project called Army of Robots, which Militarnyi said is meant to speed up the robotization of warfare and relieve people of the most dangerous battlefield tasks.