Sacked Fedorov demands wartime elections in Ukraine
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- Mykhailo Fedorov, sacked as Ukraine's Defence Minister last month, called on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) for a 'legal, safe, and realistic mechanism' to restore Ukraine's full democratic process even amid the prolonged war.
- Fedorov said 'Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia' in a YouTube video, while flagging practical obstacles: soldiers on the front line, residents near it, and millions of Ukrainians abroad — adding 'complexity does not mean impossibility.'
- Appointed Defence Minister in January, Fedorov attempted reforms to a military plagued by corruption scandals, equipment shortages, absenteeism, conscript treatment problems, and an unpopular mobilization drive.
- Fedorov's July dismissal triggered weeks of protests, piling pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who then replaced army chief Oleksandr Syrsky, widely viewed as Fedorov's rival.
- Zelenskyy appointed Yevgeniy Khmara, a low-profile career intelligence official, as acting Defence Minister pending a parliamentary vote.
- Another protest backing Fedorov is scheduled outside parliament on Wednesday (August 19, 2026), organized by his former adviser and key supporter Sergiy Sternenko.
Why it matters: Fedorov's call lands while Ukraine remains under martial law imposed after the February 2022 invasion, and his growing protest movement now puts direct political pressure on Zelenskyy. The practical obstacles he himself names — soldiers at the front and millions of Ukrainians abroad — make any electoral timeline a contested political question, not just a legal one.
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