From digital marketing in Vasylivka to Ukraine's defense ministry: the story of Mykhailo Fedorov
Ukraine's former defense minister and first digital transformation minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, rose from a small advertising business in Zaporizhzhia to become one of President Volodymyr Zelensky's closest allies. Ukrainska Pravda has published an extensive profile of his journey.
Ukrainska Pravda has published a lengthy biographical feature on Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's former defense minister and the country's first minister of digital transformation, who spent nearly eight years working closely alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Meeting Zelensky
In July 2018, the then 27-year-old digital marketing entrepreneur from Zaporizhzhia traveled to Kyiv to pitch promotional ideas for "Ze kubiki," a little-known sports project featuring Zelensky, at the Kvartal 95 studio. Zelensky, who had not yet publicly entered politics, unexpectedly joined the meeting. Beyond discussing marketing, he asked Fedorov whether he could help build a state where every public service was available online within minutes. Fedorov agreed, and the encounter launched a partnership that would last almost eight years.
From digital minister to defense minister
Fedorov later joined Zelensky's party, ran for parliament, and became Ukraine's first minister of digital transformation. Under his leadership, the government launched the Diia app, digital documents and a special tax regime for the IT sector. After Russia's full-scale invasion, his focus shifted toward military technology and combat drones, as he searched for solutions that would let Ukraine respond asymmetrically to Russia — eventually becoming defense minister.
Roots in Vasylivka
The profile also traces Fedorov's childhood in Vasylivka, near Zaporizhzhia, in a post-Soviet environment shaped by prison-culture norms. As a schoolboy he played competitive chess while also getting into street fights. In his teens he earned money working seasonal jobs in watermelon fields and trading virtual currency from video games, eventually buying his first computer with money from his grandmother and a loan taken by his parents. While studying sociology at Zaporizhzhia National University, he became active in student government and civic organizations. After graduating, he built an elevator-advertising business in Zaporizhzhia and later founded the digital marketing agency SMMStudio, which laid the groundwork for his later career.
