Zelenskyy says he wants to replace Ukraine’s Defence Minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (January 2, 2025) said he intended to replace his Defence Minister and had offered the position to his current Minister of Digital Transformation, who is aged just 34.

“I have decided to change the structure of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in his daily address broadcast on social media. “I have offered Mikhailo Fedorov the position of new Ukrainian Defence Minister.”

Mr. Fedorov, who has been the Minister of Digital Transformation since 2019, is a relatively new political figure, little-known to the Ukrainian public.

“Mykhailo is deeply involved in issues related to drones and is very effective in the digitalisation of state services and processes,” Mr. Zelenskyy added.

Without explaining his decision to replace Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian leader said he had proposed the incumbent “head another area of government work that is no less important for our stability”.

Mr. Zelenskyy had tapped Shmyhal as Defence Minister just half a year ago, in July 2025.

Besides the turnover at the Defence Ministry, Mr. Zelenskyy also named Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov to head his presidential office.

Mr. Budanov replaces Andriy Yermak, who was among Ukraine’s most powerful people before being engulfed in a corruption scandal dogging some of Mr. Zelenskyy’s former allies.