Photo: mykhailofedorov
The Ukrainian parliament has approved Mykhailo Fedorov as the new Minister of Defense, with 277 deputies voting in favor. The appointment came after a previous attempt failed due to insufficient votes. Fedorov took the oath in the parliamentary chamber immediately following the vote.
Voting breakdown by faction:
- Servant of the People – 171
- European Solidarity – 17
- Batkivshchyna – 2
- Platform for Life and Peace – 17
- For the Future – 12
- Holos – 13
- Trust – 17
- Ukraine Recovery – 14
Fedorov’s priorities as defense minister:
Ensure financial and social support for military personnel, with plans for a thorough audit of the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces to identify additional resources.
Reform army structures, improve infrastructure at the front, and address long-standing issues in Territorial Defense Centers.
Strengthen air, land, asymmetric, and cyber defense, making the war economically unsustainable for Russia.
Enhance Ukraine’s information and cognitive domain capabilities to counter Russian propaganda and use AI to predict and neutralize enemy attacks.
About Mykhailo Fedorov:
Born on 21 January 1991 in Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia region, Fedorov studied sociology and management at Zaporizhzhia National University. He founded a digital agency in 2013 and became active in political and tech initiatives.
Fedorov gained prominence during Volodymyr Zelensky’s 2019 presidential campaign as head of the digital team and later became Minister of Digital Transformation. Under his leadership, Ukraine launched the “Diia” platform, offering over 160 digital government services, including electronic IDs, driver’s licenses, education certificates, and social services. During the full-scale Russian invasion, Fedorov’s ministry developed tech defense projects like the UNITED24 fundraising platform, drone army initiatives, Starlink implementation, and AI assistants.
In 2025, Fedorov was appointed First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation in the new cabinet under Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
Recent government reshuffles:
President Zelensky recently announced multiple leadership changes, including the replacement of the head of the Office of the President, leadership of the Ministry of Defense, the State Border Guard, the SBU, and several regional military administrations.
