Ukrainian Missile Fuel, Made in Denmark

Letting Kyiv’s defense firms set up shop helps both them and Europe.

Ukraine’s domestic military suppliers are under bombardment, while Russia’s mostly are free of attack, and that gives an advantage to Vladimir Putin’s industrial base. So note the announcement last week that a Ukrainian defense company is setting up shop in Denmark to produce rocket propellants for its new long-range missiles.

Director of the Danish Business Authority Katrine Winding, Chief of Defense Michael Hyldgaard, Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen, Minister of Business Morten Boedskov, and Mayor of Haderslev Mads Skau take part in the presentation of the first Ukrainian defense company that will establish production on Danish soil, at a press conference at the Ministry of Defense in Copenhagen, Denmark September 3, 2025. (REUTERS)

Copenhagen set aside some $78 million this year to help Ukrainian weapons firms establish facilities there, and give it credit for initiative. The inaugural project involves Fire Point, a Ukrainian company that said last month it had developed a new cruise missile, the Flamingo, that can go more than 1,800 miles with a 2,500-pound warhead. Ukraine reportedly used them recently to hit a Russian base in Crimea.

Beginning in December Fire Point plans to make solid rocket propellants near Denmark’s Skrydstrup Air Base, outside the southern town of Vojens, and that’s one way to keep the missiles coming. Ukraine’s defense industry is a priority target for Russia, and not all its domestic manufacturing can be done in relative safety in underground facilities. Some processes are energy-intensive, and Russia is always trying to knock out Ukraine’s infrastructure.

Ukrainian defense companies also can make some weapons more cheaply than their counterparts in the West, meaning more literal bang for the buck. They work closely with the soldiers at the front to ensure that they don’t fall behind Russia in the technological arms race.

Mr. Putin has mainly enjoyed a sanctuary at home since he invaded in 2022, because the U.S. and Europe have been reluctant to let Ukraine use Western weapons to hit Russian territory. The development of the Flamingo and other domestic arms could change that, and offering Ukraine a haven to make components is a move to even the balance.

What’s in it for Europe? Deterring Mr. Putin, for one. But Europe is also playing catch-up to rebuild the military capacity that it let atrophy after the Cold War. Denmark is getting a chance to learn from Ukrainian innovators, especially if the Fire Point outpost is followed by drone makers and others, and maybe the site will turn into a defense manufacturing hub. That’s a partnership worth replicating elsewhere.