Ukrainian parliament appoints Mykhailo Fedorov as new defence minister
The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) has approved the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, as the new defence minister.
Source: broadcast of the Verkhovna Rada session on 14 January
Details: The decision has been supported by 277 MPs.
Some MPs from Batkivshchyna (Motherland) and Holos (Voice) parties as well as 17 from the Servant of the People party abstained or did not vote.
Following the vote, Fedorov took the oath of office as defence minister.
A Verkhovna Rada committee endorsed Fedorov's candidacy a day before the vote and urged MPs to support his appointment to the Ministry of Defence.
Speaking from the parliamentary rostrum, Fedorov said that Ukraine's main security guarantee is its defence forces.
He acknowledged that there are a number of issues preventing troops from operating effectively: what he referred to as a "paper army", a Soviet-style approach, excessive bureaucracy and supply failures at the front.
Fedorov also said that he plans a comprehensive audit of the system of Territorial Centres for Recruitment and Social Support (TCR).
Quote: "After that, we will propose a systemic solution to resolve problems that have built up over the years while preserving the country's defence capability.
Today you cannot fight with new technologies using an old organisational structure. Comprehensive changes are needed.
Our goal is to change the system: carry out armed forces reform, improve infrastructure on the front lines, eradicate lies and corruption and make leadership and trust the new culture."
More details: Fedorov said that he plans to carry out a "deep audit of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of Ukraine" soon to "find additional opportunities to improve the financial and social support provided to service members".
He added that his hometown of Vasylivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast is under occupation.
Quote: "Russian troops came to Vasylivka in the first days of the invasion... For the past 4 years I have lived with the aim of liberating Vasylivka. So my story is a personal one".
Background:
- In his evening video address on 2 January, Zelenskyy proposed that Mykhailo Fedorov, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, be appointed as the new defence minister.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mykhailo Fedorov discussed on 5 January the changes Fedorov plans to implement in the role of defence minister.
- Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, announced that the parliament had received resignation letters from Ukraine's Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal and Mykhailo Fedorov.
- On 13 January, the Verkhovna Rada approved the dismissal of Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is set to assume the role of energy minister.
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