Ukraine's sacked defence minister Fedorov calls for wartime presidential elections
- On Tuesday, Mykhailo Fedorov called for wartime elections in a YouTube address, marking the biggest internal challenge to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy since 2022.
- The 35-year-old Fedorov was fired in July, just six months after his appointment, an action he believes resulted from his overhaul of defence ministry procurement processes.
- Alleging a "systemic crisis of governance," Fedorov criticized official corruption, stating, "The old system lives by its own rules too often. It is scared of change."
- Arguing that "democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia," Fedorov demanded a "legal, safe and realistic mechanism" to renew Ukraine's democratic process during the long-running war.
- Ukrainian law currently prohibits holding elections during wartime, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office has provided no immediate comment on Fedorov's public statement.
287 Articles
287 Articles
Elections in the middle of the war? In Ukraine, this has so far been regarded as taboo. Former Minister of Defense Fedorov has now openly put this demand into space and thus initiated a debate. Critics see behind it a calculation. By Florian Kellermann.
Zelenskyy Faces Pressure to Hold Elections. What Stands in the Way?
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks to his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, during a welcome ceremony at the Serbia Palace, in Belgrade, Serbia, on Aug. 8, 2026. —Darko Vojinovic—APUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is facing a major internal political challenge after a recently dismissed defense minister called for a wartime presidential election. But holding an election during an ongoing war would pose enormous legal and l…
President Volodymyr Zelensky has unleashed an unprecedented political crisis in Ukraine by dismissing Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense. That is what our Ukraine expert Marijn Trio says now that the same Fedorov is openly calling for new elections. "For the first time since the start of the war, a political opponent is rising."
Ukraine’s ousted defense minister challenges Zelenskyy with call for wartime elections
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's recently ousted defense minister and one of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's longest-serving political allies, has called for wartime elections, signaling his clearest break yet with the administration that launched his political career.
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