Ukraine’s recently dismissed former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, has called for a wartime presidential election, making the most direct political challenge to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Fedorov said in a video address released online late on Tuesday that Ukraine must restore “a full democratic process” despite the prolonged war. Elections have been suspended since martial law was imposed at the start of the invasion.
What Fedorov said about democracy and government
Fedorov did not name Zelenskyy, but criticised what he described as a poorly functioning state struggling to address corruption during the national emergency. He said people should understand why decisions are made and why some reforms advance while others are blocked.
He also warned against appointments being based on personal loyalty rather than professionalism, results or the ability to transform the country. Fedorov argued that Ukraine could continue fighting while holding a national vote, saying democracy should not be held hostage by Russia.
Why holding an election would be difficult
Artem Bronzhukov, a Ukrainian political analyst, questioned how voters’ safety could be guaranteed while Russian bombing continues. He said Ukrainian society broadly sees elections as necessary, but many believe they should wait until the most intense phase of the war has ended.
Any election would also have to account for millions of people who have been displaced or exiled, more than 1 million people serving in the armed forces, and roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory being under Russian occupation. Ukraine uses a two-stage presidential voting system.
Fedorov’s political challenge and the government reshuffle
Fedorov, 35, served as Ukraine’s digital minister from 2019 until January and led the country’s wartime adoption of drones. He then briefly served as defence minister before being abruptly dismissed last month after a falling-out with military commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi.
The dismissal prompted nightly protests in a Kyiv square below the presidential office, although attendance later declined. A special rally on Sunday drew about 2,000 people. The protests were followed by Syrskyi’s sacking, but Fedorov was not reinstated.
What polling shows and what happens next
Polling conducted at the turn of the month by the Socis Centre for Social Research put Fedorov third in a hypothetical first round with 13.1%, behind Zelenskyy on 22.3% and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former armed forces chief and current ambassador to the UK, on 21.4%. The same polling found Zelenskyy would lose a runoff to either Fedorov or Zaluzhnyi.
Zelenskyy has formally nominated acting defence minister Yevhen Khmara to take the role permanently. Ukraine’s parliament must confirm the nomination, with a vote expected on Wednesday. The US president, Donald Trump, has previously called for Ukraine to hold an election, while there has been little domestic appetite for a contest during the continuing war.
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