Ukraine’s defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov resigns as part of reshuffle

KYIV - Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on July 15 he was resigning as part of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Cabinet reshuffle that saw the country’s prime minister step down.

“It was a great honour to serve the Ukrainian people as defence minister,” he wrote on Telegram in a lengthy post listing the achievements of his ministry, which he had taken over in January.

Fedorov in particular hailed the development of drone production and use since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, as well as the start of sweeping army reforms.

The announcement came after Ukraine’s Parliament on July 14 approved the resignation of Yulia Svyrydenko as prime minister after a year in the post.

Appointed at the age of 35, Fedorov was the youngest defence minister in Ukraine’s history, and took over with the goal of injecting new energy into Kyiv’s war machine.

He was one of the earliest advocates of the growing use of drones, which have become a feature of the conflict on the front line.

He also cemented a deal with Elon Musk to obtain Starlink satellite connectivity for Ukrainian troops and to cut Russian troops’ access to it.

According to Ukrainian media, Fedorov could be replaced by the current interior minister Igor Klymenko. AFP