Ukraine Elections Row: Fedorov Calls for Wartime Vote, Puts Zelenskyy Under Pressure

Ukraine’s ousted Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for elections to be held during the war with Russia, saying the country faces a crisis of governance and needs a way to renew its democratic process despite wartime restrictions.

Fedorov made the demand in a video address posted on YouTube on Tuesday, arguing that Ukraine must find a legal and safe mechanism to hold elections. Ukrainian law prohibits elections during wartime. According to Reuters, the call is the first such demand by a major Ukrainian political figure since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, and marks the biggest internal challenge to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the invasion.

“Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia,” Fedorov said. “We must find a legal, safe ​and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to renew its full ​democratic process even in the conditions of a long ​war.”

The 35-year-old Fedorov was a longtime ally of Zelenskyy until his unexpected firing from the Defence Ministry in July, six months after his appointment, when he had vowed sweeping reforms. Shortly after his dismissal, Fedorov publicly criticised the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, exposing a bitter rift between the two men and their differing visions for the war.

Fedorov’s rift with military leadership

Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets demanding Syrskyi’s dismissal and Fedorov’s reinstatement. Syrskyi, an old-guard military commander, was blamed by his critics for heavy troop losses on the front line.

Zelenskyy said he dismissed Fedorov because of his inability to work with Syrskyi. The president subsequently fired the military chief under public pressure, Reuters reported.

Protests in support of Fedorov have continued for the past month, although they have lost some of their early momentum and still regularly draw a couple thousand attendees in Kyiv, Reuters reported.

Fedorov did not say in his address that he would compete in any election. However, a recent poll indicated that the former minister would comfortably beat Zelenskyy in a runoff vote, where the top two presidential candidates go head-to-head.

Fedorov challenges Zelenskyy

Fedorov’s statement came just hours after Zelenskyy confirmed that he had asked parliament to confirm new Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara in office on Wednesday.

In what appeared to be an open challenge to Zelenskyy, Fedorov said Ukraine faced a “systemic crisis of governance”.

“The old system lives by its own rules too often. It protects itself. It is scared ​of change,” he said.

Without naming individuals, Fedorov condemned official corruption, which he said was hurting Ukraine’s war effort. The former defence minister recently said he believed his reform of the Defence Ministry’s procurement processes, responsible for purchasing billions of dollars of equipment, contributed to his sacking.

Zelenskyy’s office had no immediate comment on Fedorov’s address.

According to Reuters, Fedorov was Ukraine’s youngest minister when he was appointed at the age of 28 and spent six years as the country’s digitalisation chief. He was the last remaining member of Zelenskyy’s first cabinet in 2019.

His work running the Ministry of Digital Transformation saw him become an early adopter of drone warfare, which has turned combat in Ukraine on its head since 2022. His nationwide profile grew further after his appointment to run the Defence Ministry in January, when he immediately vowed a data-driven overhaul.

Unlike his predecessors, Fedorov publicly laid out a strategy to defeat Russia through attrition and technological superiority.

“Our people have long been ready for a different country,” Fedorov said in his address. “Now, our state must become worthy of its people.”