Ukraine’s sacked defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for the country to find a way to hold presidential elections despite the ongoing war with Russia, mounting pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky and raising one of the strongest political challenges to his leadership since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
“Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia,” Fedorov, 35, said in a video posted on YouTube on Tuesday, arguing that Ukraine is fighting “precisely because we want to remain a free European state”.
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion, meaning elections have been suspended.
Fedorov, who did not directly mention Zelensky in his video, was unexpectedly removed as defence minister in late July, only six months after taking up the position.
His dismissal came amid growing political pressure and sparked protests across the country. Zelensky has not yet responded to Fedorov’s latest call for elections.
During his time as defence minister, Fedorov was credited with bringing fresh energy to the ministry, leading efforts to fight corruption and using data to assess military performance and find ways to improve results on the battlefield.
His removal was widely linked to tensions between him and Ukraine’s army commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Syrskyi was also replaced several weeks later after continued protests put further pressure on Zelensky.
In his video, Fedorov did not reveal whether he plans to seek political office or contest any future election. Instead, he called for the creation of a “legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amidst a prolonged war”.
He also warned that Ukraine was facing a “systemic crisis of governance” and said the country was “scared of change”. Fedorov further pointed to corruption as one of the problems affecting Ukraine’s war effort.
Following his removal, Zelensky appointed Yevgeniy Khmara, a career intelligence official with a low political profile, as acting defence minister.
Fedorov was offered other positions within Zelensky’s government, including deputy prime minister for military innovation. However, the 35-year-old has said he would only return to government as defence minister.
Before becoming defence minister, Fedorov served as minister of digital transformation and played a major role in Ukraine’s use of technology during the war.
In the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he helped establish the volunteer “IT Army of Ukraine”, which carried out cyber-attacks against Russian targets.
He later led a major fundraising drive known as the Army of Drones and introduced elements of “gamification” into Ukraine’s military efforts. The system gave Ukrainian military units credits for successfully hitting Russian targets.
As defence minister, Fedorov continued to push for greater use of drones, high-tech warfare and new approaches to military procurement.
He also asked SpaceX founder Elon Musk to prevent Russia from using Starlink satellites to support drone attacks.
The move was credited with causing considerable disruption to Russia’s frontline operations and advance.
Shortly after his dismissal, Fedorov listed his achievements in a Facebook post and said he would “continue... to defeat the enemy through asymmetry, speed of innovation, and organisational strength”.
His latest comments now put the focus on how Ukraine can balance wartime security with its commitment to democratic elections as the conflict continues.