Hellen Omwando

mom, founder, ex-Philips, ex-Forrester. international business, health tech, IoT, smart cities, sustainability. York Uni, Wharton, HBS, Erasmus.

[Zeke Hausfather @hausfath]

I'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.

[Mykhailo Fedorov @FedorovMykhailo]

Ukraine’s experience in technology-driven warfare will help shape the security standards of the 21st century.

Technology isn’t an end in itself. Its purpose is to ensure that every Ukrainian service member comes home alive.

That’s why robots and drones should fight wherever they can.

The first stage is the robotization of the battlefield. Wherever people are on the front lines today, sensors, automated turrets, unmanned ground vehicles, and drones will take their place tomorrow.

The second stage is enabling drones to be operated remotely, allowing operators to work from a safe distance away from the front line.

The next stage is autonomous AI-powered systems capable of carrying out combat missions on their own.

In an interview with @nytimes, I discussed what the wars of the future will look like and why our vision is to win the war for independence through technological superiority and asymmetric warfare:

https://t.co/weBilZCsEe

[Mykhailo Fedorov @FedorovMykhailo]

It has been a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as the Minister of Defense.

Here is what our team managed to achieve:

1. Disabled Starlink access for Russian forces.

2. Took over a Ministry of Defense with zero budget, took a risk, reallocated funds from payroll from the end of the year, and effectively invested them in mid-strike capabilities, fiber-optic FPVs, low-cost reconnaissance, ground robotic platforms, interceptor drones, and deep-strike drones.

3. Launched "Logistical Lockdown", this cut off enemy logistics and initiated the isolation of Crimea.

4. Continued the funding program for the Drone Line.

5. Launched a support program for modern drone-assault units that rely primarily on advanced technologies in combat.

6. Introduced a 70% advance payment policy for procurements made via e-Points on the Brave1 Market portal.

7. Fundamentally overhauled the procurement system.

8. Procured thousands of pickup trucks, buggies, and ATVs for the military for the first time—and did so through open tenders.

9. The drone interception rate rose from 83% to 91%, and the cruise missile interception rate soared from 47% to 87%.

10. Contracted Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T missiles for the first time, and submitted an application through an EU loan to purchase PAC-3 missiles.

11. Launched a baseline drone supply system for brigades and corps.

12. Launched a massive grant program for manufacturers of explosives and missiles.

13. Initiated an unpopular but vital transformation of the military.

14. Conducted three UDCG meetings, where we successfully broke through the Russian information trap claiming our defeat, restoring partners' faith in Ukraine. This secured $40 billion in support announced for this year (excluding the EU loan).

15. Launched the mechanism to utilize the EU loan for our military priorities.

16. Found a way to scale cheap missiles against jet-powered Shaheds and signed a record-breaking contract.

17. Our domestic ballistics. We radically revised the technical specifications, maximized accuracy, and reduced the cost by 30%.

18. Signed a contract to procure Gripen fighter jets.

19. Collaborated with the military to plan and execute Operation Auchan, which halted the enemy's mechanized offensive for six months.

20. Opened up exports under the Drone Deal program to attract investment and scale up domestic defense-industrial complex (OPK) production.

21. Launched the Trophy Lab, providing partners with the opportunity to study captured Russian military technologies.

22. Launched the Defense AI Center A1 to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence on the battlefield.

Thank you to my entire team for their relentless 24/7 service. A special thank you to my family for their patience.

Thank you all for your support!

I will continue to work toward the mission I originally brought to the Ministry of Defense: defeating the enemy through asymmetry, the speed of innovation, and the power of organization.

To be continued.

[Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof]

Fedorov was widely credited for Ukraine’s turnaround on the battlefield, and for cutting corruption in the military.
Firing him after just six months, and with no explanation, is a really bad look for Zelensky.

[Zeke Hausfather @hausfath]

With all the July model runs now in, it is very likely that 2026 will see the largest El Niño event since records began in the late 1800s – and potentially by a truly mind-blowing margin. The median estimate is now 3.6C, roughly 0.8C hotter than the prior record (2.75C).

[Mykhailo Fedorov @FedorovMykhailo]

Great news for Ukrainian defense tech: signed agreements with EU Commissioner @KubiliusA for access to EU defense programs and €300M in funding.

Through the new BraveTech EU Ukraine Support Instrument, our companies can access €260M to scale up production and €35.3M for innovation grants—covering up to 100% of costs.

This is a true win-win. We are combining EU resources with our battlefield-tested tech to build a safer Europe. Thank you, Andrius Kubilius and the EU team 🇺🇦🇪🇺

[Tymofiy Mylovanov @Mylovanov]

Matviichuk, Nobel Peace Prize laureate: The "perfect victim" is beaten, raped and kicked into a corner. They kneel, cry and accept their fate. The world says, "This is terrible" and moves on

When the victim says, "No. I will fight," anger shifts from the aggressor to the victim.

[Michael McFaul @McFaul]

There is no more important topic for NATO leaders in Ankara than how to provide more missile defense interceptors to Ukraine asap. Defeating Putin in Ukraine very concretely enhances the security of all NATO members. Abstract blather about 5% spending (sandwiched with sycophantic praise for Trump) is a distraction to actual NATO security priorities)

[Michael McFaul @McFaul]

Ukraine needs NATO and NATO needs Ukraine. A new win-win grand bargain from Ankara would be a commitment for NATO countries to send more missile defense interceptors to Ukraine now in exchange for Ukrainian drones later.

[Kaja Kallas @kajakallas]

Words of condemnation alone will not stop attacks on Kyiv. Only sustained military support for Ukraine and increased pressure on Moscow can do that.

This week, the EU has started disbursing €6 billion under the €90 billion support loan to strengthen Kyiv’s defences.

Today, I will propose to sanction more entities supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex in response to the strikes. The more Moscow attacks civilians, the more sanctions must be imposed.

We keep raising the cost until Russia understands it cannot win.

EU staff in Kyiv are accounted for. I am deeply grateful to our colleagues on the ground, who continue their work with courage and dedication under the most difficult circumstances.

[Atul Gawande @Atul_Gawande]

Independent analyses estimate that your actions to dismantle USAID and drastically reduce lifesaving foreign aid have already killed 700,000 people. Here are some of those people. 🧵https://t.co/aKdQpk9QTW

[Stephen King @StephenKing]

What’s happening in Europe right now is best explained in THE DELUGE, by Stephen Markley and THE MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE. Read these books and see the furure.

[Hellen Omwando @hellenomwando]

@midjourney @DavidSHolz cool! any recording of the livestream or anything that explains working mechanism, radiologist involvement, etc?

[Midjourney @midjourney]

Announcing a new division of Midjourney called "Midjourney Medical"

[Hellen Omwando @hellenomwando]

@mattyglesias Occam’s razor

[Hellen Omwando @hellenomwando]

@MatthewBerman @DeepLearn007 Nope. Not about crying wolf. Would have happened anyway.

[Hellen Omwando @hellenomwando]

@DeryaTR_ @DarioAmodei @AnthropicAI This move has nothing to do with the call for stricter ai industry regulation. All about power and competition.

[Hellen Omwando @hellenomwando]

@AnthropicAI This was inevitable … will probably get worse.

[Hellen Omwando @hellenomwando]

@AEI @ScottGottliebMD Central and East Africa. Not West Africa. And of course death of USAID has had profound negative impact on access to resources eg for contact tracing, etc.

[Marion Koopmans, publications: https://pure.eur.nl @MarionKoopmans]

"The day before WHO learned of the hantavirus outbreak, negotiators of the pandemic treaty failed to agree on how to equitably share critical pathogen samples, vaccines, and medicines between richer and poorer countries during future outbreak" https://t.co/Lme3Gs3sCC