Overview
- Addressing parliament during his Jan. 14 confirmation, Mykhailo Fedorov outlined urgent steps to stabilize the armed forces following the disclosure of widespread draft evasion and absences.
- He condemned excessive paperwork and a Soviet-style hierarchy, urging commander assessments based on effectiveness rather than rank and promising front-line infrastructure improvements.
- Fedorov said the ministry faces a 300 billion-hryvnia funding gap, as the European Commission announced that a major new loan program will primarily support Ukraine’s military and economy.
- He pointed to rapid defense-industrial growth, citing nearly 500 drone manufacturers, about 200 electronic-warfare firms, more than 100 ground-robotics companies, and roughly 20 private missile producers.
- After meeting Fedorov, President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled broader changes to mobilization procedures, with forces stretched along a roughly 1,000-kilometer front.