Mykhailo Fedorov, who is leaving the post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine, published a farewell post in which he summed up his work. According to him, during his tenure, the team managed to implement a number of reforms and projects in the field of defense technologies, procurement, international cooperation, and the development of the Ukrainian defense industry.
Mykhailo Fedorov, who is leaving the post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine, published a farewell post in which he summed up his work. According to him, during his tenure, the team managed to implement a number of reforms and projects in the field of defense technologies, procurement, international cooperation, and the development of the Ukrainian defense industry.
At a meeting with the faction, the president explained Fedorov’s dismissal by saying that he had «irresolvable contradictions with Commander-in-Chief Syrsky.» The president said that «both Fedorov and Syrsky should be dismissed in a good way,» but that this cannot be done now.
Zelensky will nominate the current head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, for the position of Minister of Defense.
«It was a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as Minister of Defense,» Fedorov wrote.
According to him, one of the most important achievements was the disconnection of the Russian military from Starlink, which, as he claims, has drastically reduced their ability to wage effective drone warfare. Also, despite the fact that the Ministry of Defense received a budget with a deficit, it was possible to refocus funding on the most important technological areas — fiber-optic FPV drones, mid-strike and deep-strike systems, low-cost reconnaissance UAVs, ground robotic complexes and interceptor drones. In four months, Fedorov claims, more drones were purchased than in the entire previous year.
He also noted the launch of the «Logistics Lockdown» program, which received separate funding. According to the former minister, this, together with the new procurement model, made it possible to disrupt the logistics of Russian troops and begin the isolation of Crimea. The Ministry also continued funding the «Drone Line» program, which is the basis for providing the Unmanned Systems Forces, and launched a program to support modern drone assault units that fight primarily with technology.
Fedorov reported that the Ministry has introduced a 70 percent prepayment mechanism for purchases through «eBals» on the Brave1 marketplace, radically changed the procurement system, holding the first tenders for long-range artillery and hundreds of thousands of drones, and also purchased thousands of pickup trucks, buggies, and ATVs for the army through open tenders for the first time.
According to him, the air defense system has also undergone significant changes. Pavel Lazar was integrated into the Air Force, and a procedure for detailed analysis of each massive attack (After Action Review) was introduced, which allowed increasing the level of interception of drones from 83% to 91%, and of cruise missiles from 47% to 87%.
In addition, the Ministry has signed a contract for the purchase of Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T missiles for the first time and has submitted an application for the purchase of PAC-3 using European credit. At the same time, Fedorov notes, from July all combat brigades and corps will begin to receive forecasted deliveries of drones without manual distribution, which will allow the military to plan their operations.
Among other achievements, he mentioned the launch of a large-scale grant program for explosives and missile manufacturers, as well as the beginning of a transformation of military service. This includes a new contract system with fixed terms of service and deferrals, increased financial support for infantry and assault units, opening the foreign recruitment market, and creating new mechanisms for the return of servicemen who voluntarily left their units.
Fedorov also stated that during this time, three meetings of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine were held in the «Ramstein» format. According to him, this helped to change the perception of the situation by partners, after which $40 billion in military support for Ukraine was announced, excluding the European loan. The Ministry also managed to launch a mechanism for using this loan to finance Ukrainian defense priorities.
Separately, the former minister mentioned the scaling up of the production of cheap missiles to combat jet «shaheeds», announcing the signing of a record contract.
One of the most resonant statements was the announcement about the Ukrainian ballistic program. «Symbolically, on the day of the government’s dismissal, we successfully tested ballistics, which was being developed in the area of responsibility of the Ministry of Defense. We radically changed the technical specifications and proved maximum accuracy. We reduced the price by 30%. Ukraine will enter a new league,» Fedorov wrote.
He also announced the signing of a contract for the purchase of Gripen fighters, which, according to him, will allow for more effective destruction of Russian Su-30 aircraft carrying guided bombs. In addition, together with the military, Operation Auchan was planned and implemented, which, according to Fedorov, stopped the mechanized offensive of Russian troops for half a year.
Among other initiatives, he named the opening of exports within the Drone Deal program to attract investment in the production of Ukrainian weapons, the launch of Trophy Lab to study Russian military technologies captured by partners, and the creation of the Defense AI Center A1, which should accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence into Ukrainian defense developments.
Mykhailo Fedorov also published a separate post in which he named three things that, in his opinion, were not completed during his tenure: completely reform the structure of the Ministry of Defense, transfer all procurement to the tender system, and form a culture of personal responsibility for decisions made.
For now, according to the former official, he will continue to work in the president’s team. However, neither Fedorov himself nor other officials have yet announced their next role. They promise to share details next week.
