FILE PHOTO: Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 29, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo
KYIV, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament appointed Mykhailo Fedorov as the country's new defence minister on Wednesday and he vowed to drive innovation and reform to strengthen the military during a critical phase of the nearly four-year war.
Fedorov, 34, previously served as the first deputy prime minister and digital transformation minister.
He has played a key role in shaping Ukraine's high-tech response to Russia's invasion. In particular, he helped improve connectivity for Ukraine's forces at the frontline by deploying Starlink terminals.
He was also instrumental in creating a so-called 'drone line' — a defensive line of drones meant to inflict maximum damage on Russian troops.
"Today, it is impossible to fight with new technologies using an old organisational structure. We need comprehensive changes," Fedorov said, presenting an action plan to lawmakers before the vote.
"Our goal is to change the system: to reform the army, improve infrastructure on the front lines, eradicate lies and corruption, and make leadership and trust a new culture."
Fedorov takes up his position just weeks after a major corruption scandal in the energy sector that sparked widespread public anger at President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government.
His appointment is part of a reshuffle of key political and security officials by Zelenskiy that has placed a popular spy chief at the centre of his administration as his chief of staff.
The Ukrainian army is outmanned and outgunned at the battlefield. Russian forces are steadily grinding forward in the eastern Donetsk region and stepping up their air strikes on Ukrainian cities and towns far from the frontlines.
Fedorov said that his reforms would focus on digitising the army, increasing the use of drones and artificial intelligence, and using technology more widely.
"More robots — fewer losses. More technology — fewer casualties," Fedorov said.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa, Olena Harmash; Editing by Daniel Flynn)
