Former defence minister Fedorov challenges Zelensky with call for wartime elections in Ukraine

Fedorov calls for wartime voting

Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov published a nine-minute video address on his YouTube channel on the evening of 18 August, urging President Volodymyr Zelensky to establish a mechanism for holding national elections. The 35-year-old technocrat was appointed in January to oversee military logistics, technological development, and Western aid negotiations, during which he directed drone strikes and cyber operations against Russian supply routes and oil refineries. Zelensky dismissed him on 15 July following disagreements with military Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskii. In his video, Fedorov described a systemic government crisis in Kyiv and warned that public offices are increasingly distributed based on personal loyalty rather than professional merit. He stressed that elections have not occurred in Ukraine since 2019, arguing that the prolonged conflict must not indefinitely suspend democratic accountability.

Can Russia actually be entitled to define when Ukrainians can elect their authorities next time? I'm sure it's not. Democracy can't be Russia's hostage.

Ministerial shuffle and corruption raids

Fedorov's video coincided with ministerial appointments and law enforcement investigations in Kyiv. Shortly before the broadcast, Zelensky nominated Yevhen Chmara as the permanent defence minister, a post Chmara had occupied on an acting basis since 20 July. The Ukrainian parliament officially confirmed Chmara on 19 August. On the same day, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) conducted searches targeting high-ranking officials, including deputy head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra and lawmaker Vadym Stolar. Investigators stated that an alleged criminal organisation operated across government agencies with the participation of current and former parliamentarians as well as presidential staff. Zelensky dismissed Mudra from her post immediately following the searches, while Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov made no public statement regarding the case.

Political debate and constitutional constraints

Ukrainian law explicitly prohibits holding national elections while martial law remains active during the war with Russia. Despite these legal restrictions, Fedorov's demand gained support from former foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who led the Foreign Ministry from 2020 to 2024. Kuleba stated that postponing elections until the end of hostilities would not produce a more civilized outcome, noting that the political arrangement formed in 2019 has become emotionally exhausted.

We don't know when [the war] ends. What if it lasts for another three years? We will be living under the political model that was formed in 2019, which has already been emotionally exhausted.

Security hurdles and public opinion

Institutional observers have pointed to significant operational obstacles to holding nationwide ballots during wartime. PEN Ukraine president Volodymyr Yermolenko noted that over one million citizens currently serve in the armed forces, while ongoing missile strikes complicate voting security across urban centers. Yermolenko added that political authority has grown increasingly centralized around Zelensky, though democratic mechanisms such as investigative journalism and anti-corruption agencies remain active. Public polling shows former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now serving as ambassador to the United Kingdom, as the most trusted public figure at 66%, with Fedorov ranking second among potential presidential contenders. Following his dismissal, Fedorov declined an offer to serve as a presidential adviser on reforms, as well as an opportunity to work with US software firm Palantir Technologies.