MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. The Western military-industrial complex will formalize its presence in Ukraine through local jurisdiction, while its actual production capacities will be located in adjacent NATO countries, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told TASS.

"Most likely, the Western military-industrial complex will formalize its presence through Ukrainian jurisdiction, followed by the development of an extraterritorial military-industrial complex in adjacent NATO countries. Investors are not prepared for risky ventures where they cannot control and ensure the security of their assets," the expert said, commenting on the destruction of the US company Terminal Autonomy’s plant in Kiev by Russian troops.

According to him, the Terminal Autonomy plant destroyed in Kiev was part of a hybrid model: the United States acted as a legal guarantor, while production was localized in Ukraine. The company, registered in Delaware and operating since 2022, produced up to a thousand drones per month and cooperated with German and British companies that supplied electronics and navigation systems.

Stepanov emphasized that, regardless of legal status, the format of production organization, or its capabilities and interactions with the Western military-industrial complex, any company operating on Ukrainian territory is subject to liquidation. This is precisely why plans to deploy Patriot missile production in territory controlled by the Kiev regime are unviable. "This is a message to everyone who planned to localize defense production in Ukraine," he added.