Sacked Ukrainian Defence Minister Calls For Wartime Election

The former Ukrainian defence minister has called for wartime elections in what appears to be a significant challenge to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Mykhailo Fedorov, who was sacked by the Ukrainian president last month after falling out with the army commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsksyi, said: “Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia.”

Ukraine has been under martial law since Vladimir Putin launched his illegal invasion in February 2022, meaning elections are on hold.

Presidential elections were scheduled to take place in March or April 2024 but Zelenskyy has stayed on without a vote from the general public due to the ongoing war.

Even so, his long premiership has become a major Kremlin talking point backed by US president Donald Trump who has supported the call for a presidential election.

Fedorov did not mention Zelenskyy by name in his video or say whether he wants to run against the president.

He claimed Ukraine is fighting Russia “precisely because we want to remain a free European state” and said it was time for a “legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amidst a prolonged war”.

The former defence minister was highly popular with the public during his six months in the post and his surprise dismissal sparked nationwide protests.

He was praised for modernising Ukrainian warfare with drones and data, while also heading up a push to tackle corruption.

Fedorov was offered other government positions but he has insisted he would only return as defence minister.

His replacement, Yevhenii Khmara, was nominated to parliament as defence minister shortly before he posted his video.

His intervention comes as Ukraine continues to intensify its retaliatory attacks across Russia, using drones to target oil refineries and the warehouses of online retailers.

Moscow has picked a fight with the UK after British drones were used in these strikes.

Prime minister Andy Burnham has insisted Ukraine still has Britain’s full support after the Russian embassy in London told the government it must face “consequences” of its backing for Kyiv.

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