Dismissed defence minister Fedorov calls for wartime presidential election in Ukraine
Ukraine's recently dismissed former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has publicly called for a presidential election to be held during wartime, becoming the sharpest political challenger to Zelenskyy since 2022.
Mykhailo Fedorov, abruptly removed from his post as defence minister last month, released a nine-minute video address late on Tuesday in which he said Ukraine must restore a full democratic process even amid a prolonged war. He argued that democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia, since Ukraine is fighting precisely to remain a free European state.
Without naming President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly, Fedorov suggested the current leadership has struggled to tackle corruption and that appointments are too often based on personal loyalty rather than professionalism or results.
Elections have been suspended in Ukraine since martial law was declared at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Zelenskyy's five-year term formally ended in May 2024, though there has been little public appetite for holding a vote while the war continues. US President Donald Trump has previously pressed Ukraine to hold elections, although his relationship with Zelenskyy has improved over the past year.
Fedorov, 35, served as digital minister from 2019 until January, overseeing Ukraine's wartime adoption of drones, before a brief and reportedly successful stint as defence minister that ended in July. His sudden dismissal, following a falling-out with military commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, triggered street protests that eventually led to Syrskyi's own removal — though Fedorov was not reinstated.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy formally nominated acting defence minister Yevhen Khmara for the permanent post, with a parliamentary confirmation vote expected on Wednesday.
Political analyst Artem Bronzhukov questioned the practicality of holding elections while Russian bombing continues, though he noted a widespread view in Ukrainian society that elections should follow once the war's active phase ends.
Nightly protests in central Kyiv, which had been dwindling, were reinvigorated by a rally on Sunday that drew about 2,000 people chanting Fedorov's name. Recent polling put Fedorov third in a first-round vote with 13.1%, behind Zelenskyy on 22.3% and former armed forces chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi on 21.4% — though the same poll suggested Zelenskyy would lose a run-off to either rival. Holding a vote would also have to contend with millions of displaced citizens, more than a million troops serving at the front, and roughly a fifth of Ukraine's territory under Russian occupation.
