Ukraine’s ousted defence minister calls for elections during war

What the report says

Ukraine’s former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has publicly called for wartime elections, a rare challenge to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. In a video posted on YouTube, Fedorov argued that democracy should not be suspended indefinitely and said the country needs a lawful and practical way to restore its full democratic process even during a prolonged war, according to Al Jazeera.

The appeal comes after Fedorov was dismissed from the defence ministry in July, six months after his appointment. Al Jazeera reported that his removal triggered protests in Kyiv and elsewhere, and added that his firing was widely linked to tensions with Ukraine’s military leadership. Fedorov had been seen as a reform-minded figure and a longtime ally of Zelenskyy before the split.

Ukraine’s current law prohibits elections during wartime, and the country has delayed presidential voting under martial law. Al Jazeera said no major political figure had previously made such a demand publicly since the invasion began. Fedorov also described what he called a broader governance crisis and referred to corruption as a drag on the war effort, although he did not directly accuse Zelenskyy.

The episode matters because it highlights internal pressure on Kyiv at a time when the government remains focused on the war and on maintaining political stability. Al Jazeera also noted that the president’s office had not responded to Fedorov’s remarks at the time of publication.