Meet the Ukraine Minister who uses Tech against Missiles

Ukraine’s Minister for digital transformation Mykhailo Federov is heavily relying on technology to brave Russian attack. 

Mykhailo Federov operates from an underground shelter in a concealed site in Kyiv, while Ukraine’s President Voldymyr Zelensky joins the military forces for physical confrontation above.

Federov turned the sedate government Twitter handle into a social media mortar that’s persuading world’s authoritative tech companies to close business in Russia as a protest against Russian incursion in Ukraine.

Federov is urging tech-gurus like Elon Musk to deploy satellites for the benefit of Ukrainians. He uses his smartphone to reach out to the world.

His tweet triggered Musk to react within 48 hours and attuned his pattern of Starlink satellites and dispatched a volume of internet-ready Starlink terminals to Ukraine. The service is crucial in the stability of internet services should the telecommunication networks be dismantled.

However, Musk warned that Russian missiles might be directed to the Satellite dishes.

Federov’s ideal armament is social media, urging world business moguls to severe ties with Moscow. He has pressurized multinational companies to boycott Russia.

The tech-savvy Ukrainian Minister is reported to be the youngest in Zelensky’s cabinet. The 31-year-old Minister urged volunteers to contrive cyber-attacks against Russia. He launched an “IT Army of Ukraine” with over 270,000 Telegram group members. 

“Tech is the best solution against tanks,” Federov as quoted by BBC stated.  The IT army has already crippled operations of the web portal of Fontanka, Tass, Kommersant and top-rated media in Russia that funded the Russian Military incursion against Ukraine.

Federov has requested crypto-currency exchange platforms to freeze the accounts of all Russian nationals. 

The Russian – Ukraine war has been condemned worldwide with many leaders across the world calling for ceasefire.

Tech Giants that have cut ties with Russia

Companies offering Fintech services such as Mastercard, Visa and PayPal have stopped operations in Russia following their attack against Ukraine. 

Both Social Media Giants Facebook and Twitter have restricted their network in Russia. 

Apple and Microsft have stopped their sales in Russia, just after Mykhailo Federov tweeted. 

How Ukraine uses Tech to Finance its Defense

Ukraine has already used $15M worth of cryptocurrency donations to purchase military gear. This is after the Ukrainian government had raised over $52million in crypto-asset donations, as reported by Forbes.

The Ukrainian government is also seeking to secure extra funds through non-fungible token (NFT). Already their national flag has been sold as an NFT worth 2,258 Eth (around $6.75m).