31 years old, the same age as Ukraine no longer Soviet, he has overseen the digital transition of his country for three years. You convinced Elon Musk to activate his Starlink system in Ukraine
KIEV I was on the presidential campaign staff. We were working on a product to implement and, while we were introducing it, one of the employees called him into the office and said, “Listen, too …” It was that day that Zelensky and I first spoke to each other.
Mychajlo Fedorov recalls his debut meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky. He listened to him. He must have liked that boy who grew up on bread and computers a lot because in no time at all he wanted him, in 2018, to head the digital sector of the campaign that led him to the highest position in the country.
Today Fedorov is one of the four Ukrainian deputy premieres and minister for digital transformation. With a tweet he convinced Elon Musk to activate his Starlink system in Ukraine, he asked and obtained that Big Tech leave Russia. All this for thirty-one, since on 24 August 31 years ago, when the Ukrainian parliament declared the country an independent and democratic state, he was seven months old.
She is the same age as post-Soviet Ukraine.
Exactly. And just as a person who at 30 develops an understanding of who what he wants to become, so too has our country clearly chosen his path.
When was your love for the digital world born?
I saw the first computer when I was 6-7 years old, in my mother’s office where I went when I finished school. I sat in front of that box for 4-5 hours, trying to figure out how it worked. I fell in love with it. For me, technology is a tool for transformation, simplification, an opportunity to open new paths.
What digital future do you envision for Ukraine?
I see enormous potential. We can become the cheapest, fastest, freeest country in the world in terms of digital services and interaction between people and government. We are a young country, we understand technology. My idea of the future and the direction in which I try to go tomorrow paperless, caschlesswith education and digital governance, with 100% online services, I imagine the removal of bureaucracy, 5G …
Among his latest projects is Army of drones.
Exactly. We have tested all our drones and have done a reconnaissance of the needs of the army on all lines of defense. To understand how many kamikaze, reconnaissance or attack drones we need. We are now raising funds to buy the drones our army needs. We have already raised enough to sign contracts, shop, arrange repairs and a pilot training school.
And then you also hired a cyber army.
They are thousands of volunteer specialists working for us against the enemy. The use of digital is part of the new military strategy.
They said it was over 300,000, right?
S. Russia attacks us and we counterattack with our hackers. The objectives are the public ones associated with the media, propaganda, the portals of the Kremlin and the Russian parliament, companies like Gazprom, banks like Sberbank … And then there are non-public targets for multi-vector attacks, but we cannot reveal anything about this. There is also an ongoing cyber warfare and it is important that our systems work to make the state machine work. access to the Internet and information is very important.
Have you ever thought about what to do first after the war?
I think it will announce a truly revolutionary new project; it will cover the whole world.
What is it about?
I’m sorry but I can’t be more precise (ride). I’ll just give you a clue: it’s about artificial intelligence and my idea of how the people of the future will live.
The worst day since the war began.
Personally, it was the day my hometown, Vasylivka (in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, ndr). My family has suffered a lot and my father is still in the hospital ….
Is there a better day, too?
When we sank the cruiser Moskva.
July 23, 2022 (change July 23, 2022 | 23:29)
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