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Fedorov’s wartime election push
Ukraine’s ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for wartime elections in a bombshell address posted on YouTube on Tuesday, framing it as the biggest internal challenge President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has faced since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
“democracy in Ukraine “cannot be held hostage by Russia””
Fedorov, who was fired from the Defence Ministry in July just six months after his appointment, argued that democracy in Ukraine “cannot be held hostage by Russia”.
Ukrainian law currently bars elections during wartime, and the BBC reported that a source in Zelenskyy’s presidential office said it was “highly bizarre to plan elections amidst missiles and drones”.
The BBC added that Fedorov’s dismissal sparked protests across the country, and it said about 100 protesters gathered outside the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday morning chanting “bring back Fedorov as minister of defence” and “we are fed up, we want dialogue”.
Protests, anti-corruption probe
Fedorov’s call for elections came as Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies launched a special operation targeting current and former MPs as well as an unnamed official in the presidential office, the BBC reported.
Hours later, Zelensky’s office said its deputy head Iryna Mudra had been dismissed, and the BBC said local media reports described a raid on her premises.
In the same BBC account of the political fallout, MP Vadym Stolar said he was co-operating with anti-corruption officials after his home was searched as part of the operation.
The BBC also described how Fedorov’s video complained that corruption was depriving the military of weapons and equipment and making it harder for Kyiv to win the war, while he warned Ukraine faced a “systemic crisis of governance” and being “scared of change”.
Reuters similarly said Fedorov condemned official corruption for hurting Ukraine’s war effort and called his election demand “the first such demand by a major Ukrainian political figure since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.”
Zelenskyy’s next move
Fedorov’s election demand landed just hours after Zelenskyy confirmed he had asked parliament to confirm acting defence minister Yevhenii Khmara in office on Wednesday, according to the BBC.
“force Russia into a "just peace"”
The BBC reported that MPs overwhelmingly backed Khmara’s role early on Wednesday afternoon after he told them he would do everything to defend Ukraine and force Russia into a “just peace”.
The Kyiv Independent said Fedorov argued Russia should not be allowed to determine when Ukrainians can elect their government, quoting him: “We must not let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin decide when Ukrainians can choose their government”.
In the same Kyiv Independent account, Fedorov also called for a “legal, safe, and realistic mechanism” for holding elections during a prolonged war while ensuring voting rights for military personnel, Ukrainians abroad, and people living in front-line regions.
DW’s update on Wednesday also described Zelenskyy dismissing deputy head of the presidential office Iryna Mudra amid the corruption probe, underscoring how the political dispute around Fedorov’s call is unfolding alongside personnel changes and investigations.
