Ukraine's government approves strategy to fortify defence lines through 2028

Ukraine's government has approved a Strategy for the Engineering Equipment of Defence Lines through 2028, together with an operational plan for carrying it out, the Defence Ministry announced on 16 October 2026. The ministry said the document was drawn up on its initiative.

The announcement did not give a budget, a cost estimate or the date of the Cabinet decision. It also did not say how the work will be funded.

Key tasks

According to the ministry, the strategy sets these priorities:

• protecting personnel and logistics;
• preserving the combat capability of units;
• developing fortifications;
• protecting supply routes against drones;
• using modern structures and materials;
• digital monitoring of how the work is carried out.

The ministry said the strategy will synchronise the work of the Defence Forces and state bodies on each of these areas.

Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said the document "sets a single standard for equipping defence lines across the country". He said it defines deadlines and responsible parties and creates mechanisms to monitor implementation. "The solutions that have proven effective, we will scale up. But we will also take into account new challenges, threats and changes in enemy tactics. The main goal is to protect our service members and civilians," he said.

First phase and end goal

The first phase will concentrate on the most threatened areas: zones of active combat, frontline cities, and the borders with Russia and Belarus. The ministry described the final goal as a deeply echeloned system of defence lines, meaning several successive lines of defence rather than a single front-line position. It gave no timetable for the stages, and no locations or details of specific structures.

Digital monitoring

The ministry called the digitalisation of processes an important innovation. Monitoring of fortifications, engineering structures and anti-drone barriers will be expanded. The ministry said this will show the real state of the work and let resources be directed quickly to where they are most needed. It did not describe the tools or systems involved.

The Defence Ministry will have overall coordination of monitoring the strategy's implementation. The General Staff will coordinate this work within the military command bodies.

Context

Khmara is the current Defence Minister; RealUA has covered his recent statements on issues including draft deferments for defence-industry staff. The ministry's announcement is the only source for this report. The full text of the strategy and the operational plan were not included in it, and the claims about its aims and scope have not been independently verified.