Fedorov's Election Call Tests Zelensky's Wartime Grip
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- Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's recently ousted defence minister, called for wartime elections in an address, marking the biggest internal challenge to Zelensky since 2022 and coming after his dismissal sparked rare wartime street protests
- Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022, which bans elections for security reasons; the country last held a vote in 2019
- President Zelensky said he would hold elections if the U.S. and European allies guaranteed vote security, while Donald Trump has separately argued Ukraine should hold a vote
- Ukrainian voters present massive logistical hurdles: over 4.4 million hold temporary protection status in the EU, about 4 million are internally displaced, roughly 1 million serve in the armed forces, and Ukrainian officials estimate 4.5 million adults remain in Russian-occupied territories
- Russia has called Zelensky illegitimate since his term expired in May 2024, undermining his ability to sign peace deals, and plans to hold its own elections in occupied Ukrainian territory next month, which Kyiv has deemed illegal
- Zelensky's approval has declined from roughly 90% early in the war to around 60% after an energy-sector corruption scandal, though polls show him still leading potential challengers including former commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi (21%) and Fedorov (13%)
Why it matters: Russia's claim that Zelensky's term expired in May 2024 already complicates his standing to sign peace deals, and Fedorov's election call brings that pressure inside Ukraine's own politics — yet polls show a majority of Ukrainians oppose voting during active war, leaving any vote in a stalemate.
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