Ex-defence minister Fedorov reveals his next steps: venture fund, think tank and lecturing
Following his dismissal from government, former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov says he plans to work on a venture fund to attract investment in Ukrainian defence start-ups, set up a think tank and civic initiatives to prepare for a "return to democracy", and lecture at universities.
Source: Fedorov in an interview with 24 Kanal
Details: Fedorov said the plan he brought to the Defence Ministry was called Air-Land-Economy and its focus was protecting Ukraine's airspace, halting the Russian advance, and exhausting Russia's economy.
"I realised that it would be difficult to achieve this plan without effective managers and without reforming the system, so I added another point – Democracy. I'll be working on implementing this plan," he said.
Quote: "This is how I see my path: I need to set up a venture fund that will attract Western funding to invest in Ukrainian start-ups and developers. I have a few priorities – cheap AI-powered missiles… also robotising the line of contact and adding sensors. We need to think about how to remove infantry from the line of contact, because assault troops will be moving into previously enemy-held territory after the robots and drones have gone in… Our task is to saturate the battlefield with sensors that react to enemy infantry movement, triggering immediate reconnaissance and destruction of the enemy.
We started working on this at the Defence Ministry, and I want to continue that work in the private sector. It will be a fund with Western investment that will invest in various projects in Ukraine and bring projects to Ukraine that will help us win."
Details: Fedorov said another of his projects will be a "think tank – an organisation where analysts come up with ways to stop the war and defeat Russia and generate ideas in general. It will be a team of policymakers who develop the rules of the game for the next stages."
The former minister said the think tank's objective will be to "develop a vision for the next stages of the war, stay relevant, and propose to the government what needs to be done to implement these changes".
"There may also be some AI-related start-ups, which will also be connected with defence tech and how to help in the war. This is a key area of activity that I want to develop. I'm confident that a lot of people from all over the world could join this project and support it," he added.
Fedorov also plans to spend some of his time engaging in "civic activities to do with preparing this country for a return to democracy".
"I have a very large team – hundreds of very talented people who are building their lives around the projects I'm going to launch. This is invaluable social capital, and I really want to support these people so that they can fulfil their potential. I think we'll achieve results in these areas," the former minister said.
He also plans to teach "a course on reforms at some universities".
Quote: "Plus I already have projects that I started working on as soon as I left the government. I'm helping several foundations that are working on reforms – how to prepare partner investment and funding for the changes taking place in the government, and how, given the change in strategy, to help the government in the most effective way possible."
Subscribe on Patreon to back our journalism long-term.