Sacked Ukrainian defence minister calls for presidential election

What the report says

Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has publicly urged Ukraine to hold wartime presidential elections, a call that Nile Post says is being viewed as one of the strongest recent challenges to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wartime leadership. In a video posted on YouTube on Tuesday, Fedorov argued that Ukraine needs a legal and realistic way to restore democratic processes even while the war continues. He also said corruption and weak governance were harming the country’s war effort.

Fedorov, 35, did not name Zelensky directly in the video. He was dismissed as defence minister in late July, about six months after taking the post, and his removal reportedly triggered protests. According to the report, tensions with army commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi were widely seen as part of the reason for the shake-up. Zelensky has not publicly responded to the video.

Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and elections are suspended during that period, which gives the call added political sensitivity. Fedorov said Ukraine is fighting to remain a free European state and that democracy should not be “held hostage” by Russia.

The article also notes Fedorov’s high-profile role in wartime innovation, including work on cyber operations, drone fundraising and other technology-driven efforts. Zelensky later offered him other government roles, but Fedorov said he would only return as defence minister.