Fedorov Calls for Wartime Elections Amid Ukraine’s Governance Crisis

Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a 35-year-old credited with advancing Ukraine’s drone warfare, issued a video statement urging that elections be held while the country remains at war. His appeal follows his removal from the cabinet in a July reshuffle and a wave of street protests demanding his reinstatement and broader political change. Fedorov did not name President Volodymyr Zelensky directly, but his call frames the current leadership as facing a “crisis of governance.”

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Ukraine continues to endure intensive Russian missile strikes, including a recent attack that killed 12 people in Kyiv. Wartime conditions currently bar formal elections under Ukrainian law, leaving public opinion to be measured by polls. A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll shows that 67 % of respondents expect the president to be replaced after the war, while other surveys suggest Zelensky would remain a strong candidate if voting were possible. Corruption remains a persistent issue; Transparency International’s Global Corruption Index for 2025 ranks Ukraine 104 out of 182 countries, reflecting gradual improvement but still significant vulnerability in wartime procurement.

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In the same week as Fedorov’s appeal, Zelensky dismissed a senior aide, a move widely interpreted as linked to ongoing money-laundering investigations. He also removed General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the 61-year-old head of the armed forces, after protesters called for his ouster. Fedorov’s statement, released on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the 1989 Soviet coup attempt, emphasized that “democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia.”

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• 67 % of Ukrainians expect a presidential change after the war (Kyiv International Institute of Sociology).

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• Ukraine’s 2025 corruption ranking: 104 / 182 (Transparency International).

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“Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia,” — Mykhailo Fedorov, popular defence minister

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