Former defence minister Fedorov pledges not to oppose Zelenskyy until war ends

Roman Petrenko — 1 August, 15:34
Former defence minister Fedorov pledges not to oppose Zelenskyy until war ends
Mykhailo Fedorov. Photo: Oleksandr Chekmenov, Ukrainska Pravda

Former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said he will not become a political opponent of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the war, but will return to the government only if he is reinstated as minister of defence.

Source: Fedorov in an interview with The New York Times

Details: Fedorov also said he will not meet participants in protests demanding his return as minister.

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He said he does not see his dismissal as a political struggle and does not want the situation to "artificially drag" him into politics.

Read more: "There were a lot of people swarming around the Defence Ministry": ex-defence minister Fedorov on the reasons behind his dismissal

Fedorov also said that lobbyists for defence companies whose interests were affected by changes to procurement approaches had actively pushed for his resignation.

He said that during his time in office, the share of drones and other technological weapons in the procurement budget rose from 60% to 90%. He also claimed that drones now inflict about 95% of Russian troop losses on the front.

Fedorov said he believes the war is moving towards the "robotisation of the front line" and that, in the future, autonomous drones controlled by artificial intelligence will fight each other.

Read more: Mykhailo Fedorov: "Would I return as defence minister? 100%!" Part 2 of our interview

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