Ukraine’s dismissed defence minister calls for wartime presidential election
Ukraine’s Dismissed Defence Minister Calls for Wartime Election
Wanderstayfinder.com – In a nine-minute video posted late Tuesday evening, Ukraine’s dismissed defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov issued what many observers are calling the most pointed challenge yet to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The 35-year-old former minister, removed from his cabinet post just weeks earlier, argued that holding a presidential ballot while shelling continues is not a partisan stunt but a question of national survival.
“Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia. We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state.”
Though the address never named Zelenskyy outright, it sketched a government mired in opacity and patronage. Fedorov pressed for transparency over why some reforms advanced while others stalled, and why personnel choices appeared to turn on personal allegiance rather than competence.
“It is particularly dangerous when society develops the feeling that the main criterion for an appointment is not professionalism, results or the ability to transform the country, but personal loyalty to the system.”
From Digital Minister to Street Protest
Fedorov’s ascent through Kyiv’s political establishment was swift and unconventional. He headed the digital ministry from 2019 until January of this year, steering Ukraine’s wartime pivot toward drone warfare and e-governance. In January he was moved into the defence portfolio; by July, Zelenskyy had stripped him of that role in a cabinet reshuffle widely attributed to a public clash with Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi over operational decisions.
The ouster ignited nightly demonstrations in a square directly beneath the presidential office. Syrskyi was later removed from his command post as well, yet no comparable restoration followed for the former minister. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy formally nominated acting defence minister Yevhen Khmara for the permanent seat, with a parliamentary confirmation vote expected Wednesday. A Sunday rally of roughly 2,000 participants chanting “Fedorov, Fedorov, Fedorov” in unison signalled that a visible slice of the electorate still regards the ousted official as a credible alternative.
The Practical Obstacles to a Wartime Ballot
All elections in Ukraine have been suspended since martial law was declared at the invasion’s outset. Zelenskyy’s constitutionally allotted five-year term lapsed in May 2024, yet neither the government nor a majority of citizens has shown appetite for a contest amid active combat. US President Donald Trump had earlier pressed Kyiv to schedule a vote, though his once-turbulent relationship with Zelenskyy has softened over the past year as Ukrainian forces demonstrated they could hold ground on the battlefield.
Artem Bronzhukov, a Ukrainian political analyst, raised logistical objections: with Russian aerial bombardment ongoing across multiple regions, safe polling conditions remain unresolved.
“Today there is no clear understanding of how to ensure people’s safety in the context of a full-scale war.”
Bronzhukov described a “fairly deep-rooted view within Ukrainian society” that elections are ultimately necessary but should await the conclusion of the war’s hot phase. He characterised the country as “a warring democracy – confirmed precisely by the protests taking place after Fedorov’s resignation from the government,” underscoring that civic dissent and armed conflict coexist in ways that complicate any simple timeline for restoring normal electoral cycles.
What the Polling Suggests
A Socis Centre for Social Research survey conducted at the turn of the month offered a snapshot of a hypothetical first-round vote. Zelenskyy led with 22.3 percent, followed by Valerii Zaluzhnyi — the former armed-forces commander now serving as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom — at 21.4 percent, and Fedorov in third place with 13.1 percent. Under Ukraine’s two-stage system, the top two candidates advance to a run-off, meaning the margin between the front-runners is narrow enough that shifts in public sentiment could reshape the contest.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Mykhailo Fedorov removed as defence minister? He was dismissed in July of this year during a cabinet reshuffle, after serving in the role since January. His tenure as digital minister had run from 2019 through January.
Has Ukraine held any elections since the invasion began? No. All elections have been suspended under martial law declared at the outset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Zelenskyy’s original five-year term expired in May 2024 without a successor vote.
Who did Zelenskyy nominate to replace Fedorov? Acting defence minister Yevhen Khmara was formally nominated for the permanent post, with a parliamentary confirmation vote anticipated the following day.
What do current polls show? The Socis Centre survey placed Zelenskyy at 22.3 percent, Zaluzhnyi at 21.4 percent, and Fedorov at 13.1 percent in a hypothetical first-round scenario, leaving the eventual run-off composition uncertain.
