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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Nominates Fedorov for Defense Minister Role Amid Tech Push
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![Photo of Liubava Petriv]( "Photo of Liubava Petriv")
On January 2, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov has been proposed to lead the Ministry of Defense.
“I have proposed Mykhailo Fedorov as the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine. He is deeply involved in the ‘Drone Line’ project and works effectively on the digitalization of state services and processes,” Zelenskyy said in an evening address.
The president emphasized that reforms in the defense sector are needed to ensure continued progress and effectiveness.
He also confirmed that current Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal will remain part of the government, with a new role offered in another area of state administration.
Zelenskyy highlighted the Ministry of Defense’s achievements in 2025, noting that in December alone, the ministry successfully produced over a thousand interceptor drones per day.
Before joining government, Fedorov was active in entrepreneurship and project management in digital communications and marketing.
In 2019, he led the digital strategy for Zelenskyy’s presidential campaign, after which he was appointed Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation.
Mykhailo Fedorov led the creation of Diia, turning Ukraine into a global leader in digital government by moving key public services, IDs, and signatures online.
Under his leadership, Ukraine rose to 5th place worldwide in digital public services and was recognized as a top-tier GovTech country globally. He significantly reduced corruption through digitization and ensured resilient public services during wartime.
Fedorov also initiated BRAVE1, Ukraine’s defense-tech innovation platform, which unites startups, the military, and investors to rapidly develop and deploy battlefield technologies, especially drones and AI solutions.
Earlier, President Zelenskyy appointed Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), as the next chief of the Presidential Office, signaling a potential major shift in Kyiv’s wartime leadership structure.
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