Fedorov's team: former minister's role as adviser to Italy's defence chief won't stop him living and working in Ukraine

Mykhailo Fedorov's press office has explained that his former position as defence minister places no restrictions on his ability to serve as an adviser to other governments. According to the team, the new role does not involve access to state secrets or specialised information related to the development, production or use of military products, nor to any other restricted-access documentation.

The press office stressed that engaging former senior officials as experts and advisers to foreign governments is common international practice, since such people are brought in specifically for their management experience and expertise in particular fields.

Precedents cited

Fedorov's team pointed to several examples: former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been engaged by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an adviser on economic recovery; former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has become an adviser to Zelenskyy on economic development; and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has taken part in international advisory work since leaving office, including on international policy, security and support for Ukraine.

According to the team, the defence innovation adviser role is primarily about exchanging management and expert experience in technological warfare. Such cooperation matters for Ukraine, they said, because it deepens ties with NATO countries and their defence industries and opens new opportunities for Ukrainian defence tech companies, joint development projects and investment initiatives.

Fedorov to remain in Ukraine

The press office noted that Fedorov has dozens of other international cooperation projects planned, but that he will continue living and working in Ukraine, with his main focus remaining on helping Ukraine defeat the enemy. His international activities, they said, will help attract more attention, partners and investment to new projects — a think tank and an innovation fund that will invest in Ukrainian technologies and weapons capable of changing the course of the war.

On 28 August, Fedorov announced he had accepted an offer from Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto to become his adviser. Earlier, on 22 August, commenting on his dismissal from government, Fedorov said his future plans included working on a venture fund to attract investment in Ukrainian defence start-ups, setting up a think tank and civic initiatives focused on a "return to democracy", and lecturing at universities.