Mykhailo Fedorov Resigns as Defense Minister

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov is leaving his post.

He announced this on his social media accounts.

The resignation of the defense minister comes amid a reshuffle of Ukraine’s government (Cabinet of Ministers). The Verkhovna Rada is to vote on his resignation.

Mykhailo Fedorov has headed Ukraine’s Defense Ministry since January 14, 2026, when he replaced Denys Shmyhal.

Before his appointment, Fedorov had headed the Ministry of Digital Transformation since 2019, where he was responsible for the digitalization of public services.

As defense minister, he focused on scaling defense technologies, reforming military IT systems and developing unmanned platforms.

Among the results of Fedorov’s team’s work were the blocking of Starlink access for the Russian military, procurement reform and the accelerated implementation of artificial intelligence in the defense sector.

The most likely candidate for the position of defense minister, according to sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda, is Ihor Klymenko.

Before that, he worked for many years in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Ihor Klymenko began his career in the internal affairs agencies in 1998, working his way up from a psychologist and personnel officer to the leadership of the police.

From September 2019 to January 2023, Klymenko served as head of the National Police of Ukraine.

After the death of Denys Monastyrsky in a plane crash in January 2023, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Ihor Klymenko as interior minister.

In this position, he oversaw the work of the National Police, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service and the State Emergency Service.