Sacked Ukrainian Defence Minister Fedorov calls for wartime elections

Published Aug 19, 07:46 AM UTC

Mykhailo Fedorov, the former Ukrainian defence minister who was sacked by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month after a falling out with army commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, has released a video calling for wartime elections. Fedorov argued that 'democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia' and urged the creation of a legal mechanism to restore democratic processes despite the ongoing war. Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, suspending elections. Zelenskyy's extended tenure has become a talking point for the Kremlin and has been backed by US President Donald Trump. Fedorov, who was popular for modernizing Ukraine's military with drones and anti-corruption efforts, did not explicitly mention Zelenskyy or state whether he would run. His replacement, Yevhenii Khmara, was nominated shortly before the video. The call comes as Ukraine intensifies drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and warehouses, prompting Moscow to warn the UK over the use of British drones.