Vitalii Kindrativ is Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine, a technocrat and public-sector executive with extensive experience across government. He has held senior leadership positions in infrastructure, transport, and regional development, and previously headed Ukraine’s State Service for Maritime, Inland Waterway Transport and Shipping. His expertise lies in managing complex public systems and shaping and implementing economic and sectoral policy.
Today, Vitalii Kindrativ oversees a key portfolio of Ukraine’s economic policy, including industrial development and domestic manufacturing, industrial parks, investment facilitation, economic policy in the security and defence sectors, and critical infrastructure protection. His work focuses on creating the conditions for new manufacturing capacity, mobilising private investment, strengthening Ukraine’s industrial capabilities, and enhancing the resilience of the Ukrainian economy.
In the first half of 2026, Ukraine set an ambitious target: to increase manufacturing's share of GDP from 8.8% to 20%.
Since the summer, however, the conditions for doing so have become more challenging: strikes on production facilities and energy and logistics infrastructure are increasing risks. At the same time, protectionism and trade restrictions around the world are making access to foreign markets more difficult.
How can Ukraine preserve its industrial base and build new production capacity at home under these conditions? We will discuss this at KIEF 2026 during the panel discussion "Ukraine's Industrial Backbone".