At the submission of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
A total of 277 members of parliament voted in favor of his candidacy. The new Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, addressed the Verkhovna Rada, summarized key achievements in the defense sector, and outlined future priorities.
Among the key defense achievements during the period of the full-scale invasion, he mentioned:
- The transfer of 50,000 Starlink terminals to Ukraine by international partners;
- The launch of the Army of Drones initiative;
- The creation of strike UAV companies (RUBpAK);
- Deregulation and opening of markets for manufacturers of drones, electronic warfare systems, unmanned ground systems, missiles, and more;
- The creation of Brave1: the cluster now includes more than 2,350 companies and over 4,900 developments, with more than 730 grants issued to companies totaling over UAH 2.6 billion;
- The launch of the e-Points system;
- The start of the Drone Line initiative.
In his new position, Mykhailo Fedorov identified several priorities:
- Conducting army reform;
- Improving frontline infrastructure;
- Eliminating corruption risks;
- Developing leadership and trust as a new culture.
“The President set a clear task: to build a system capable of stopping the enemy in the air, halting advances on the ground, strengthening asymmetric and cyber strikes against the enemy and its economy, and making the cost of war for Russia one it cannot sustain,” the new Minister of Defense emphasized.
In addition, among his areas of focus, Mykhailo Fedorov highlighted the training of Ukrainian servicemembers, improving their financial and social support, deepening cooperation with international partners, and developing the defense industry.
He also stressed that anti-corruption will become the foundation of the new Ministry of Defense.
“One of my first decisions as Minister of Defense will be to ensure a basic level of drone equipment for brigades, which are clearly in short supply,” Mykhailo Fedorov concluded.
