Sacked Fedorov calls for wartime elections in Ukraine — Kyiv says no

Full text

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s demand to hold wartime elections has sparked consternation in Kyiv, as the ramifications of a controversial government reshuffle rumble on.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s contentious ouster of Fedorov last month triggered nationwide protests — and has now resulted in the most serious internal challenge to his leadership since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Politicians from across the aisle chided Fedorov after the former minister’s call on Tuesday night to find a “legal, safe, and realistic mechanism” that would allow Ukraine to “resume a full-fledged democratic process, even amidst the ongoing war.”

Martial law, which was put in place shortly after Russian tanks rolled over the border, does not allow for presidential or parliamentary elections to take place, and experts have pointed to the further difficulty of holding a vote given the millions of displaced Ukrainians, the ongoing Russian occupation of parts of the country, the continued bombing by Kremlin forces and Moscow’s penchant for interfering in democratic ballots. Martial law also prohibits amendments to Ukraine’s constitution while it is in effect.

“With all due respect to Mykhailo Fedorov, the constitution did not change because of his dismissal,” said Kira Rudik — leader of the liberal, pro-European Holos party in the Ukrainian parliament — shrugging off Fedorov’s suggestion.

“Elections cannot be held under martial law. It is wrong to call for tearing the country apart to serve anyone’s political ambitions,” added Rudik in a post on X.

Ukrainian lawmaker Mykola Kniazhytskyi, from former President Petro Poroshenko’s opposition European Solidarity party, also criticized Fedorov’s call for wartime elections, arguing that holding a vote under Russian missile and drone attacks would pose serious security and logistical challenges. “The discussion about elections must begin with an answer to the question of state security,” wrote Kniazhytskyi on Facebook.

Yaroslav Zhelezniak, another Holos lawmaker and senior member of the parliament’s finance committee, was also among those pushing back against Fedorov. “I will state my position right away: no and no,” he wrote on his Telegram channel .

“It is unrealistic, at least because of the constitution,” added Zhelezniak.

Zelenskyy axing Fedorov had sparked an outcry because, after seven months in the role, the ex-minister was widely viewed as innovating to ensure Ukraine’s military could continue resisting the Russian attack. Fedorov, who previously served as digital minister and also has close ties with American entrepreneur Elon Musk, made no secret of his displeasure at being booted from the defense job — and launched his counterattack on Tuesday night in a bombshell YouTube address.

“If the war drags on for another year, two, or three, could Russia effectively gain the right to determine when Ukrainians can once again choose their own government?” asked Fedorov. “I am convinced it cannot. Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia. We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state.”

Fedorov’s call comes at a difficult moment for Ukraine, marked by a deepening crisis of public trust thanks to snowballing corruption scandals and political tensions, noted Roman Lozynskyi — a Ukrainian lawmaker also from the Holos party — in a Facebook post addressed to Zelenskyy. The president’s office was rocked by further corruption raids on Tuesday, as Operation Forrest Gump gathers steam.

But the internal strife is giving fresh impetus to calls for elections, which could favor Moscow, warned the lawmaker.

“People understand that elections during the war play into the enemy’s hands. That it will be a war of all against all, a field for fakes and manipulation. A society already torn apart and wounded,” continued Lozynskyi. But amid the country’s problems, Ukrainians can no longer simply dismiss the idea, he said. “Now people no longer know what is worse: corruption and lies without elections, or trying to reset the country by taking the risk of holding elections during the war. And that is a catastrophe.”

Ukraine was due to hold its presidential election in March 2024 and parliamentary election in October 2023, but both were postponed due to the Russian invasion. Under pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy has not categorically ruled out wartime elections , but he has said they would require substantial international support — including from the U.S. and the EU — to ensure security and voting rights for Ukrainians at home and abroad.

Meanwhile, Fedorov isn’t completely alone in calling for elections.

Dmytro Kuleba — a former top ally of Zelenskyy — on Tuesday night backed the idea of holding elections during the conflict, arguing that in Ukraine “elections after war will not be more civilized, than during.”

“We don’t know when it will end. What if it lasts for another three years? We will be living under the political model that was formed in 2019, which is already emotionally exhausted. There is a demand among people for new members of parliament,” said Kuleba to Interfax Ukraine , referring to the election in which Zelenskyy upended Kyiv’s politics with a landslide victory.