The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced what he described as «a significant reform» in his government, aimed at «strengthening Ukraine’s resilience». This includes the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov, the current Deputy Prime Minister, as the new Minister of Defence. «A series of personnel changes is on the horizon, and there will be more decisions regarding our institutions,» Zelensky stated in his Friday night message, where he indicated that further adjustments in his government and in the institutions of the country invaded by Russia would take place this Saturday. Fedorov also has experience in the digitalisation of public services and processes. The candidate selected by Zelensky to take on the role of new Minister of Defence has held the position of Minister of Digital Transformation since 2019. The day before, the President of Ukraine announced that he had appointed Kyrylo Budanov as the new head of his cabinet, among other new posts. Budanov had been the director of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (GUR), a role that will be taken on by Oleg Ivashchenko, who until now was leading Ukraine’s foreign intelligence services.
