Op-Ed: Supporting Ukraine boosts Ohio’s economy 

Northeast Ohio has punched above its weight in helping Ukraine both before and since the 2022 Russian invasion. We host one of the world’s largest repositories of Ukrainian diplomatic and historic archives at the Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Tremont. The numerous faiths that make up the mosaic of the Ukrainian identity ceaselessly work to collect assistance for the Ukrainian war effort. Clevelanders have opened their homes to thousands of Ukrainian refugees, and volunteers have given their time and money to assist resettlement organizations such as Global Cleveland and U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). 

In April, Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, visited Cleveland at the joint invitation of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Princeton Association of Northern Ohio, and the Ukrainian Museum-Archives. She chose Cleveland over World Affairs’ and Princeton’s invitations to visit other cities in acknowledgement of the outsized role Cleveland plays in supporting the war effort and preserving Ukrainian statehood and culture. 

Ukraine is not just fighting for its own sovereignty and independence, but a global war defending democracy. That is a huge burden for an impoverished country just emerging from centuries of brutal Russian suppression and struggling with its own communist legacy and rampant corruption.  

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The polls showing diminishing support for aid to Ukraine are alarming. Ohio’s congressional delegation has almost unanimously supported every aid package, with the exception of Senator J.D. Vance, who, when voting against the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (one of just 11 nays) said, “I cannot in good conscience support the broader package, which commits the United States to years of additional military aid for the war in Ukraine.” He added, “It’s disappointing to me that these significant priorities that would benefit Ohioans have been bogged down with such deeply problematic foreign policy proposals.”

Senator Vance is wrong. Not only is supporting Ukraine the right thing to do, it’s also good for Ohio.

Contributing to Ohio’s GDP

Ukraine has become a proving ground for modern warfare, testing advances that will benefit its allies. Although the war is mostly on the ground, Ukraine is deploying the most modern cyber attacks and drone weaponry. Ohio plays a role in supporting these methods, while also improving America’s military preparedness. 

• Air force: According to JobsOhio, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton and its supporting industries and contractors contribute 1.2% of Ohio’s GDP. (GDP is a measure of the market value of goods and services produced in a particular area. It’s often used as a measure of economic health.) Though it is unclear how much of the Dayton area’s activities support the effort in Ukraine, these industries benefit from seeing their technology and research war-tested in Ukraine, on the backs of Ukrainian soldiers. 
  
• Drone technology: Drone attacks have become one of the defining features of the Ukraine war. While Russia relies on its own dwindling stock, it also has turned to North Korea and Iran for expensive, unreliable drones. These drones have committed enormous damage on far-flung civilian targets in Ukraine – war crimes in and of themselves. Ukrainian drones, using western technology, have achieved significant military victories by attacking military targets deep in Russia. Ohio is a major contributor to unmanned vehicle research, having just broken ground in August 2022 for the Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence in Springfield, Ohio. This $9M+ investment will fuse the area’s academic, manufacturing, and business expertise to develop new drone technology both for military and civilian use. 
  
• Tanks: While the aviation and drone advancements are critical to improving America’s military readiness, tanks remain the workhorses of the war in Ukraine. The U.S. committed to sending 31 Abrams tanks, our most sophisticated tanks, to Ukraine. The first ten are due to arrive in September. These tanks are manufactured in Lima, Ohio. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth visited the factory this February and was told the plant could add an extra shift and could manufacture 33 tanks a month and more if needed. 
  
• Cyber warfare: The first impeachment proceeding against former President Trump documented Russian efforts to infiltrate our infrastructure and subvert our elections. Ohio is not immune, and a number of seemingly unrelated sites have been hacked since at least 2021. As recently as September 7, 2023, in Cleveland, the FBI arrested members of a Russia-connected gang for hacking into seemingly mundane Ohio sites, from school districts to hospitals. This was all coordinated by Russian intelligence services, the FBI contended. Russian cyber attacks are part of the Putin regime’s goal of destroying democracy, country by country, with Ukraine as the front line, and the United States as the ultimate goal. 
  
  Fortunately, Ohio is beginning to take cyber security seriously. The launch of the volunteer Ohio Cyber Reserve by the National Guard in Columbus is garnering national attention for using the best and brightest of Ohio’s outstanding higher education institutions to help protect ourselves against Russia. The Ohio Cyber Reserve is actively seeking recruits, and  Tri-C, Cleveland State, Case Western Reserve, Kent State, and John Carroll all offer degree programs involving cyber security. Opportunities will continue to grow in this field. Ukraine helps inform this research and application as it uses advanced cyber knowledge and artificial intelligence to fight back the Russians. 

• Airships: More in the realm of the fantastical, but still realistic, some military analysts consider airships or airstats to be the intelligence weapon of the future. Able to avoid radar, lightweight, and with a relatively small carbon footprint, military and civilian experts are considering airships for everything from disaster assistance to battlefield surveillance. And Akron Airdock, recently purchased by military contractor Lockheed Martin, is one of the nation’s oldest producers of airships.  In cooperation with the University of Akron and the City of Akron, Akron Airdock is researching zero-emission capacities for large lift capacity airships. 

The war in Ukraine will not be over soon. The spring offensive has been slow and bloody, but it is moving forward. U.S. military experts encourage the U.S. and our allies to be patient and to increase, rather than decrease, military support to Ukraine. 

Resolve to support Ukraine must stay strong. Yes, we want the atrocities to end and for democracy to prevail. But Ukrainians are also providing an invaluable service to our military readiness by using and testing our own U.S. military capabilities, much of which are made in Ohio. 

The Ukrainian Museum-Archives is located at 1202 Kenilworth Ave., Cleveland, and is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Reach them by email at staff@umacleveland.org or phone at (216) 781-4329.