'It's Our Home Turf.' The Man On Ukraine's Digital Frontline
https://time.com/6157308/its-our-home-turf-the-man-on-ukraines-digital-frontline/
Less than 48 hours after appealing to Elon Musk on Twitter, Ukraines Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, posted a photo of a truckload of satellite dishes. The SpaceX founder had come through with help for Ukrainians trying to connect to the Internet amid Russias invasion, Fedorov said in the Feb. 28 tweet: Starlinkhere. Thanks, @elonmusk.
Many marveled at the seemingly miraculous speed with which the 31-year old former IT entrepreneur, who is now serving as Ukraines youngest cabinet minister, had been able to enlist the help of the worlds richest man. But Fedorov wasnt surprised. This only appeared to be a quick and spontaneous reaction by Mr. Musk, he told TIME in an interview. In fact, we had done a lot of homework
and our discussion was in a very advanced stage.
Such stagecraft is one example of how Fedorov has led Ukraines successful efforts to fight a modern digital war against Russia. From the outside, his ministrys work has seemed almost effortless, countering the Kremlins notorious disinformation campaigns, galvanizing worldwide support through social media, and shaming the worlds largest tech companies into blocking services in Russia. But beneath the surface, these successes are built on years of ambitious ventures that turned the country into a growing tech hub before the war.
In the process, Fedorov and Ukraines young entrepreneurial class are inventing a whole new way to fight a war online. Their relentless social media campaigns have flooded the Internet with constant updates on military and diplomatic successes, and helped them recruit an IT Army as well as foreign fighters. Having previously used Telegram during the 2019 Ukrainian presidential campaign, President Volodymyr Zelenskys team has been able to rely on existing infrastructure when the messaging app turned into the main front in the information war. Fedorovs ministry also set up a cryptocurrency fund that has raised more than $63 million worth of donations for the Ukrainian military.
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