Who is Mykhailo Fedorov?

Mykhailo Fedorov is a former Ukrainian Defense Minister who was dismissed in July 2026 after only six months in that position.

Why is Fedorov calling for elections during the war?

Fedorov believes Ukraine faces a governance crisis and that democracy must not be held hostage by Russia, so he is seeking a mechanism to restore the democratic process even under wartime conditions.

Is holding elections in Ukraine currently allowed?

No, Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections during martial law.

How has President Zelensky's office reacted?

President Zelensky's office has had no comment on Fedorov's statement.

World

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Calls for Elections Amid War

B.B. · Prije 2 dana | 2 min

Mykhailo Fedorov has called for holding elections during martial law, posing the biggest internal challenge to President Zelensky since the start of Russia's invasion in 2022.

Summary

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for holding elections during martial law.
Fedorov was dismissed in July 2026 after only six months at the helm of the Ministry of Defense.
Reuters assesses this as the biggest internal challenge to President Zelensky since the start of the war in 2022.
President Zelensky's office has not commented on Fedorov's statement.

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Recently dismissed Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov issued a shocking call on Tuesday evening for elections to be held in Ukraine despite the wartime circumstances. In a video message posted on YouTube, he argued that the war-torn nation faces a governance crisis, which Reuters assesses as the biggest internal challenge to President Volodymyr Zelensky since the start of the war in 2022.

Fedorov's call, at age 35, marks the first instance of a prominent Ukrainian politician making such a request after Russia launched its invasion. Ukrainian law currently prohibits holding elections during martial law.

From Ally to Critic in Six Months

Fedorov had been a longtime ally of Zelensky until his unexpected dismissal from the helm of the Ministry of Defense in July 2026, just six months after being appointed with promises of thorough reforms. In his address, he stated: "Democracy must not be held hostage by Russia."

He added that it is necessary to "find a legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore the full democratic process even under conditions of prolonged war." Fedorov also claimed that Ukraine faces a systemic governance crisis: "The old system too often lives by its own rules. It protects itself. It fears change."

Corruption Allegations and Procurement Reform

Without naming names, the former minister lashed out at official corruption, which he said harms Ukraine's defense. In a recent address, he expressed confidence that his changes to the procurement process within the Ministry of Defense, which manages purchases of equipment worth billions of dollars, influenced his dismissal.

According to an HRT report, President Zelensky's office has given no reaction to this statement.