Ukraine's ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov served just six months before his ambitious drive to reform the military led to irreconcilable clashes with the country's top brass, which he viewed as out of date, inflexible and mired in bureaucracy. Fedorov's early bet on drone warfare was a game-changer as Ukraine faced off against a more formidable opponent.
Fedorov was tasked with modernising an army fatigued after more than four years of fighting Russia's full-scale invasion. He boosted salaries, announced plans for a partial demobilisation and introduced game-like rewards systems for the units that kill the most Russian soldiers.
