Fedorov confirms he is stepping down as Ukraine’s defence minister
Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov summarised his work at the ministry and named his main achievements for Ukraine and the Armed Forces during his tenure. He stressed that he would continue working towards his mission.
Fedorov reported this on social media, Censor.NET informs.
Fedorov’s statement
Fedorov published a final report on the ministry’s work and thanked his team, the military and partners.
"It was a great honour to serve the Ukrainian people as Minister of Defence," he stressed.
According to him, the Ministry of Defence team managed to:
- cut the Russians off from Starlink, which drastically reduced their ability to wage effective drone warfare;
- take a risk after assuming control of a Ministry of Defence with no budget, reallocate funds from military pay at the end of the year and invest them effectively in mid-strike drones, fibre-optic FPVs, inexpensive reconnaissance drones, UGVs, interceptor drones and deep-strike drones. Procure more drones in four months than during the entire previous year;
- launch Logistics Lockdown as a separate programme with dedicated funding, which, together with effective procurement and support for top-performing units, made it possible to cut off enemy logistics and begin isolating Crimea;
- continue funding the Drone Line programme, which provides the foundation for procuring drones for the Unmanned Systems Forces;
- launch a programme supporting modern drone-assault units that primarily fight using technology;
- introduce 70% advance payments for purchases made using ePoints on the Brave1 Market platform;
- radically transform the procurement system. Launch the first tenders for long-range artillery and hundreds of thousands of drones, saving the state budget billions of dollars;
- procure thousands of pickup trucks, buggies and quad bikes for the military for the first time, moreover through competitive tenders;
- integrate Pavlo Lazar into the Air Force and introduce a procedure for reviewing every large-scale attack (After Action Review). During this period, the drone interception rate rose from 83% to 91%, while the cruise missile interception rate increased from 47% to 87%;
- contract Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T missiles for the first time and submit a request to purchase PAC-3 missiles through a European loan;
- launch the Base Level drone supply programme for brigades and corps. Starting in July, all combat brigades and corps will receive predictable drone supplies without manual intervention. This will allow them to plan their subsequent actions;
- launch a large-scale grant programme for manufacturers of explosives and missiles;
- begin an unpopular but critically important transformation of the military: contracts for all personnel with fixed terms of service and deferments, the introduction of some of the world’s highest salaries for infantry and assault troops, opening the foreign recruitment market under transparent and attractive market conditions, and new incentives encouraging servicemembers who went AWOL to return;
- hold three Ramstein meetings, at which Ukraine managed to escape Russia’s information trap promoting the narrative of Ukraine’s supposed defeat and restore its partners’ confidence in the country. A total of $40 billion in support was announced for this year (excluding the European loan);
- launch a mechanism for using the European loan to fund Ukraine’s wartime priorities. This was a separate and complex bureaucratic task that was successfully completed;
- find a way to scale up inexpensive missiles against jet-powered Shaheds and sign a record contract;
- successfully test a ballistic missile developed within the Ministry of Defence’s area of responsibility. Radically revise the technical specifications, achieve maximum accuracy and reduce the price by 30%;
- sign a contract to procure Gripen aircraft capable of shooting down Sukhoi aircraft carrying KABs;
- plan and carry out Operation Auchan together with the military, halting the enemy’s mechanised offensive for six months;
- open exports under the Drone Deal programme to attract investment and increase defence-industrial production;
- launch Trophy Lab, enabling partners to study Russian military technology;
- launch the A1 Defense AI Center to accelerate the introduction of artificial intelligence into warfare.
He also acknowledged that the Ministry of Defence had failed to complete its transformation in line with NATO standards, move all procurement to competitive tenders and establish a culture of accountability for decisions made.
"Thank you to everyone who defends Ukraine and works for victory. Thank you to my entire team for your effective service 24/7. Special thanks to my family for their patience. Thank you all for your support! I will continue working towards the mission that originally brought me to the Ministry of Defence: defeating the enemy through asymmetry, the speed of innovation and organisational strength. More to come," he added.
Background
- On 14 July, parliament dismissed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko. All ministers were dismissed along with her.
- Earlier, Censor.NET reported that Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s position had weakened significantly ahead of a major government reshuffle, with Verkhovna Rada members speaking increasingly confidently about his possible replacement by current Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
- On 15 July, media outlets reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would nominate current Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko as defence minister in the new government, replacing Mykhailo Fedorov. According to Zelenskyy, the latter had "botched the reform of TCR."
