The Ukrainian army has taken more than 90,000 Russian soldiers out of battle in the last three months, announced President Volodymyr Zelensky, after a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mikhail Fedorovrecently appointed to take over the leadership of the Ministry of Defence.
Mihailo Fedorov, appointed Minister of Defense in Ukraine/FOTO:X
The statement comes a few days after, on January 2, Zelensky officially nominated Fedorov for the post of Defense Minister. However, the appointment must be validated by the Parliament, according to the Constitution of Ukraine.
Fedorov has been heading the Ministry of Digital Transformation since 2019 and is the only member of the government to have retained his position throughout Zelenskiy's term. According to the president, the discussions between the two focused on the changes that Fedorov could implement at the Defense, if he is confirmed. The first draft decisions would be presented within a week.
“Ukraine is fully committed to the path of diplomacy and wants to end this war as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Russia does not demonstrate the same approach and continues aggression,” Zelenskiy said. He emphasized that Kiev's response will be to strengthen technological capabilities and transform the defense sector.
According to data presented by the president, the Ukrainian military eliminated about 35,000 Russian soldiers in December, 30,000 in November and 26,000 in October. The figures would have been confirmed based on the video materials available from the front line.
Zelenski attributed these results to the increasingly effective use of modern technologies, especially drones. “It is clear that Ukrainian technologies are working. There is an obvious increase in the delivery of drones to the troops,” he said, adding that new special formats are being prepared to strengthen the drone component of defense.
If confirmed as defense minister, Fedorov will replace Denis Shmihal, who held the post for less than six months after his appointment in July. The change is part of a wider political reshuffle announced earlier in the year.
As Minister of Digital Transformation, Fedorov was one of the architects of the “smartphone state” policy, designed to cut red tape. The launch of the Diia app in 2020 allowed direct access to government services via mobile phone.
Under his leadership, the ministry carried out important projects, including in the field of drone production and education reform. Fedorov also played a key role in the launch of Brave1, a platform that connects the Ministry of Digital Transformation with the Ministry of Defense for the development of military technologies.
