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“It Was a Great Honor to Serve the Ukrainian People”: Outgoing Defense Minister Fedorov Reflects on His Time in Office
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Ukraine's Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov is set to leave his post amid a government reshuffle following the resignation of Yulia Svyrydenko’s cabinet.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to nominate the current Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, to fill the defense portfolio, according to RBC on July 15.
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Fedorov, former Minister of Digital Transformation, took office in January 2026. During his 7-month tenure at the Ministry of Defense, Fedorov introduced substantial reforms, including restructured contracts, increased pay, and foreign recruitment systems.
Reflecting on his service, Fedorov highlighted a series of key initiatives completed by his team during his time in office. His administration successfully disconnected Russia’s access to Starlink terminals, degrading Moscow's drone capabilities.
⚡️ Fedorov steps down as Ukraine's minister of defense.
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) July 15, 2026
Reflecting on his tenure, the official cited the disruption of Russian Starlink access, drone program expansion, and domestic ballistic testing as key achievements. pic.twitter.com/fMzvBtpPRS
“Having received the Ministry of Defense without a budget, taking a risk, taking funds from the financial support from the end of the year and effectively investing them in mid-strike, FPV on fiber optics, cheap reconnaissance, NRC, interceptor drones, and deep-strike drones. To purchase more drones in four months than in the entire past year,” Mykhailo Fedorov stated.
Additionally, Fedorov highlighted his team’s launch of the “Logistics Lockdown” program to cut off Russian logistics and begin isolating the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, and integrated modern drone-strike units. Procurement reforms were also introduced, saving the state budget billions through new tenders for long-range artillery, drones, and utility vehicles.
Air defense capabilities were improved under his leadership, with drone interception rates rising from 83% to 91% and cruise missile interceptions climbing from 47% to 87%. The ministry contracted Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T interceptor missiles, requested PAC-3 missiles through a European credit program, and expanded local rocket and explosive manufacturing.
Fedorov’s team also initiated a major transformation of military service conditions, establishing some of the highest salaries in the world for infantry and assault troops, while creating legal mechanisms to encourage the return of service members who had gone AWOL.
In the international arena, the defense ministry secured $40 billion in support through three Ramstein summits and established a structure to utilize EU loans for defense needs.
He also pointed to successful tests of a domestic ballistic missile, reducing its cost by 30% and improving accuracy, while finalizing a deal for Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets.
The outgoing minister also pointed to the success of "Operation Auchan," a joint operation with military commanders that halted Russian mechanized advances for six months.
To scale domestic defense production, the ministry opened defense exports via the "Drone Deal" program, launched the Trophy Lab for international study of captured Russian hardware, and established the Defense AI Center A1 to advance artificial intelligence integration in the military.
Fedorov also outlined what goals were not yet achieved. He noted that they did not complete the organizational transformation of the Ministry of Defense to meet NATO standards, adding that they should have been more decisive in dismissing personnel who slowed down the process.
“Thank you to everyone who defends Ukraine and works for victory. Thank you to my entire team for effective service 24/7. Special thanks to my family for their patience. I will continue to work for the mission with which I previously came to the Ministry of Defense—to defeat the enemy with asymmetry, the speed of innovation, and the power of organization,” Mykhailo Fedorov stated.
In June 2026, Mykhailo Fedorov announced a comprehensive overhaul of the Ministry of Defense’s procurement and internal control systems to dismantle entrenched corrupt networks.
Speaking in an interview with the PRESSING YouTube channel, Fedorov warned that he would personally ensure anyone involved in corruption schemes or promoting private interests ended up behind bars. To clean up the institution, the ministry launched internal investigations, administered polygraph tests, and dismissed officials who leaked sensitive procurement data to private businesses.
Fedorov emphasized that transitioning to open tender procedures was vital to establishing long-term transparency, citing a competitive tender for 155mm artillery ammunition that saved the state roughly $100 million by lowering the price of each shell by about $1,000.
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