Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s popular ex-defense minister, has called for wartime elections, posing the largest challenge to Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidency since Russia’s invasion four and a half years ago.”Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia,” said Fedorov, 35, in a video posted to YouTube on Tuesday, adding that Ukraine is fighting “precisely to remain a free European state.”
Since the war began in 2022, Ukraine has been under martial law, which means that elections have been suspended. Fedorov, who did not mention Zelensky by name in the video, was unexpectedly ousted from his position as defence minister last month, just six months after being appointed.
Zelensky has yet to reply to the video of Fedorov’s dismissal, which provoked nationwide demonstrations. On Wednesday morning, approximately 100 protestors gathered outside the Ukrainian parliament, screaming “bring back Fedorov as minister of defence” and “we are fed up, we want dialogue”.
Fedorov is a charismatic politician, and during his stint as defence minister, he was credited with energizing the ministry, leading a push against corruption, confronting antiquated military structures, and modernizing the battlefield using new technologies.
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