Computer programs have been recognized as a component of weaponry and military equipment.

The government has approved amendments to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated March 3, 2021, No. 234 "On the Approval of the Procedure for the Development, Mastering, and Production of New Types of Defense Products, as well as the Termination of the Production of Existing Types of Such Products," developed by the Ministry of Strategic Industries.

According to the ministry's press service, this information has been released.

It is noted that these changes will expand the capabilities of developers of specialized computer programs used in military equipment.

"The software components of products, defense IT solutions, military management and monitoring systems, and situational awareness programs are now recognized as integral parts of weapons, military, and special equipment," the statement says.

The ministry clarified that these changes "open the door" for concluding state contracts with the Ministry of Defense's State Enterprise or other state customers. It emphasizes that this requires "certain changes" and "the establishment of mechanisms."

"In particular, a procedure for the codification of computer programs recognized as components of military equipment will be developed. We will report on the results separately," the Ministry of Strategic Industries added.

According to the announcement, developers of such software will also have access to government services used by military equipment manufacturers. Thus, they will be able to obtain critical importance status and reserve up to 100% of employees, as well as benefit from a program of accessible loans for defense industry manufacturers at 5% annual interest.

It is specified that other government services and simplifications that will appear in the future will also be available to software developers.

"For victory, we need modern weapons. Today, software components and applications that allow systems to operate effectively occupy an important place in the armament and military equipment system. Thanks to the changes to the resolution, we equate the producers of such programs with the producers of hardware components, granting them access to the services we offer to all our armament manufacturers," stated Anna Hvozdiyar, Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that Ukraine officially joined the international ePhyto system. It became the 124th country in the world to implement the international system for the exchange of phytosanitary certificates.