Mykhailo Fedorov, the 34-year-old former digital transformation minister, was appointed Ukraine’s new defence minister on Wednesday as the government looks to accelerate technological innovation in the military amid a grinding phase of the nearly four-year war with Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who ordered Fedorov to move quickly on key priorities, said the main focus must be air defence. “We immediately identified the first priorities for the ministry of defence. The main one is air defence,” Zelenskiy wrote after meeting with Fedorov.
The Ukrainian army, now numbering around 1 million personnel, remains outmanned and outgunned on many fronts. Russian forces continue to advance steadily in the eastern Donetsk region while pressing attacks in the south and northeast. With diplomatic efforts failing to produce meaningful results, Kyiv is turning to technology and structural reform to strengthen its defences.
Fedorov, who previously served as first deputy prime minister and minister of digital transformation, has already left a significant mark on Ukraine’s wartime tech response. He played a central role in creating the “drone line” — a network of drones designed to inflict maximum damage on Russian troops — and helped deploy Starlink terminals to improve battlefield connectivity for Ukrainian forces.
Addressing lawmakers before the parliamentary vote, Fedorov promised sweeping changes. “Today, it is impossible to fight with new technologies using an old organisational structure,” he said. “Our goal is to change the system: to reform the army, improve infrastructure on the front lines, eradicate lies and corruption, and make leadership and trust a new culture.”
Zelenskiy praised Fedorov’s track record, calling his deep involvement in the drone initiative and digitalisation of state processes “vital” for building viable defences.
The appointment comes as part of a broader government shake-up. Weeks earlier, a major corruption scandal in the energy sector — involving a $100 million embezzlement scheme at the state nuclear energy company — triggered Ukraine’s largest wartime political crisis and widespread public anger. In response, Zelenskiy replaced several security officials and, on January 2, named military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as his new chief of staff.
Alongside Fedorov’s confirmation, parliament appointed former prime minister Denys Shmyhal as the new energy minister. Shmyhal now faces the dual task of keeping the country’s power grid operational despite relentless Russian attacks and addressing long-standing corruption in the sector.
Parliament also voted to extend martial law and mobilisation until May — the 18th such extension since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Zelenskiy said broader changes to the mobilisation system are already underway, including decisions to ensure more equitable distribution of personnel among combat brigades.
