‘Ukraine’s Unbreakable Generation: Redefining Modern Warfare’ – Gen. David Petraeus

The most highly lauded living military officer in the United States, Gen. David Petraeus, shares his admiration for an awe-inspiring generation of Ukrainians forged by Russia’s brutal war. Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied (Photo by General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Editor’s note: The following is the transcript of a talk given in Kyiv on April 3, 2026. Well good afternoon to you all, and thank you for the kind introduction and warm welcome. It is wonderful to be back in Kyiv, especially with spring arriving! And I thank former Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and Ramina Shut and the entire team at the Kyiv Security Forum for organizing this special event. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . I come before you this afternoon to express profound admiration – for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, for those who enable them, and for a nation that has demonstrated, day after day, what extraordinary courage, indomitable will, and true resilience look like when tested to their absolute limits. The Ukrainian military has not simply defended its country. It has redefined modern warfare. And in doing so, it has reshaped how militaries around the world think about the future of conflict. In fact, Ukraine’s expertise, experience, and materiel are now eagerly sought by European countries threatened by Russian incursions and by Gulf States defending their countries against Iranian missiles and drones. Across air, land, and sea, Ukraine has developed and employed unmanned systems of extraordinary sophistication – and has done under the most difficult conditions imaginable. Your engineers, programmers, and innovators have built the most effective ecosystem of unmanned systems in the world today. And they are not just in the air, they are also on the ground and at sea. Beyond that, they are networked, resilient, and constantly evolving and improving. Other Topics of Interest White House Delays Weapons Deliveries to Europe as Iran War Drains Stockpiles The Trump administration is delaying weapons deliveries to European allies as its war with Iran strains stockpiles already depleted by support for Israel. Equally remarkable are the battle management and situational awareness software platforms that tie these systems together. The ability to detect Russian actions, rapidly fuse data from multiple sensors, and respond with speed and precision – often within mere minutes – represents a level of integration and agility that many militaries aspire to, and very, very few, if any, beyond Ukraine, have achieved. This is innovation forged under fire. And it has changed the character of the fight in which you are engaged and the very nature of modern warfare. Many of Ukraine’s new companies – born of wartime necessity – are now producing capabilities that will shape the future of defense, systems integration, networked communications, battle management, and security concepts and structures well beyond this war. Many will go public. Some will scale globally. And a number will become enduring international industrial champions. That success is deserved. But I would contend that it also carries responsibility. Because as innovation accelerates – and as capital flows increase and initial public offerings are prepared – it is essential that Ukraine’s innovative business leaders never forget who made all of this possible. Wars are still not won by technology alone, as important as technology has become. Wars are won by people. And here, if I may speak personally for a moment: I had the privilege of five combat commands as a general officer. Ultimately, as a four-star general, I commanded the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and the Surge in Afghanistan. I have seen – up close – what soldiers endure in frontline fighting: the exhaustion, the fear, the cold, the heat, the waiting, the sudden violence, and the long stretches of grinding hardship in between. Since February 2022, I have made 10 trips to Ukraine. I have seen your forces in the field, observed the work of your engineers, visited your manufacturing facilities, spoken with your leaders, and listened to your soldiers and the families of the fallen. In the fall of 2022, I was sanctioned by Vladimir Putin for my support of Ukraine – something I consider a badge of honor. So when I speak about what your soldiers are experiencing, I do so not from theory, but from lived experience. And today, on Ukraine’s front lines, your soldiers are enduring conditions as difficult as any I have seen in modern conflict. Despite the advent of unmanned systems of all types, your soldiers on the front are still engaged in brutal close combat – often at terrifying proximity. They are holding positions in mud, cold, rain, and snow – sometimes in nothing more than large holes in the ground with substantial overhead cover or in the basements of abandoned buildings. They are being hammered by artillery, glide bombs, and machine-gun fire – constantly watched by enemy drones, hunted relentlessly, pressed without pause. They fight knowing they are observed. They fight knowing they are targeted. And still, Ukraine’s soldiers endure, sacrifice, and press on – with sheer, stubborn determination and unmatched skill – despite being outnumbered and outgunned, and in the toughest imaginable conditions. For over four years, Ukrainian frontline soldiers have contested every meter of sacred Ukrainian ground. And in so doing, they and those supporting them have inflicted staggering losses on the invading force. Russia has now suffered well over 1.3 million of its soldiers killed and wounded in this war – more casualties than those sustained by American forces in all of World War II. Those losses did not happen by accident. They are the product of Ukrainian skill, discipline, determination, technology, and relentless resistance. They reflect exceptional and adaptive leadership, effective integration of new capabilities – and above all, soldiers who refuse to yield. This is indomitable will. It is sheer Ukrainian stubbornness. It is the refusal to surrender land, identity, and future. And it is these soldiers – those on the front lines in particular – who have shed blood so that tens of millions of Ukrainians could continue to live as normally as possible, even as Russia has sought to terrorize civilians, destroy infrastructure, and turn off the lights and the heat during one of the most brutal winters in years. These soldiers held the line so that others could go to school, go to work, care for families, and keep this nation functioning. That reality must never be forgotten. So as Ukraine’s extraordinary defense innovators build companies, attract investment, and prepare for public offerings, I would offer this thought – not just as a suggestion, but, perhaps, as a moral imperative: Those who stood in the trenches should share in the rewards their sacrifice made possible. Not just in words. Not just in ceremonies. But in tangible ways. If companies achieve extraordinary valuations because Ukrainian soldiers held the line, then those soldiers – members of the most elite fraternity of all, the Brotherhood of the close fight – should share in that success: with equity, proceeds, opportunity, and long-term security for the soldiers and families who bore the heaviest burden. This would not be charity. It would be justice – very hard-earned justice. And I am confident that ways to ensure this can be developed and implemented by those who have demonstrated such technical genius, managerial expertise, and extraordinary management and leadership. As I draw my remarks to a conclusion, I want to place this generation of Ukrainians in historical context. I believe we are witnessing Ukraine’s Unbreakable Generation. A generation that has fought with courage and creativity. A generation that has endured loss, deprivation, and sacrifice on a scale few societies experience. A generation that – when the guns finally fall silent – will do what unbreakable people have always done: they will build. Just as America’s Greatest Generation achieved victory in World War II and then came home and built the highways, universities, and institutions that made the United States the strongest nation on earth, I am confident that Ukraine’s Unbreakable Generation will build a Ukraine that is stronger, more innovative, and more resilient than ever before. The discipline, ingenuity, and resilience forged in this war will fuel extraordinary achievements in peace. Ukraine will be the new arsenal of democracy and a tremendous asset to its European, North American, and, now, Gulf State partners. But that future must rest on a foundation of honor and fairness – remembering those who fought, who bled, and who made victory possible – and doing so in tangible ways that share the financial rewards earned by Ukraine’s entrepreneurs with the men and women on the ground who served in the toughest of places and sacrificed so much for this great country. I was privileged to serve with extraordinary soldiers, diplomats, intelligence professionals, leaders, engineers, and other public servants over nearly 40 years of military and government service. And I say this without hesitation: Ukraine’s soldiers, its other security forces, its diplomats, its spies, its engineers, its workers, its people and its leaders rank with the very best of those with whom I ever served. All together, they are redefining the future of war and of military industrial production in Ukraine’s fight for its very existence and independence. But always – always – beyond the extraordinary innovation and the unmanned systems and the exceptional software lies the brutal, enduring reality of the infantryman on the front line, fighting in the harshest conditions imaginable for the sacred territory of Ukraine. That reality deserves our respect. Our gratitude. And our unwavering, tangible support. To all who serve – on the front lines, in command posts, in laboratories, in workshops, in schools, in businesses, and in homes – to all the members of Ukraine’s Unbreakable Generation: I offer my deepest respect and abiding admiration. The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post. Gen. David H. Petraeus (US Army, Ret.) served over 37 years in the US military, culminating his career with 6 consecutive commands as a general officer, 5 of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, command of US Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan. Following retirement from the military, he served as Director of the CIA. He is currently a partner at KKR global investment firm.