Ukraine's sacked defence minister has called for wartime elections in a thinly-veiled challenge to president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The stricken country has been under martial law, which prohibits elections, since Russia's full-scale invasion more than four years ago. But Mykhailo Fedorov, a one-time ally of Ukraine's leader whose dismissal last month sparked protests, warned: "Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia."
Fedorov's video address
In a nine-minute YouTube video, Mr Fedorov – who did not name Zelensky – said: "We must find a legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amid a prolonged war."
It comes as next February marks five years since Moscow's full-on invasion, with Russia now occupying about a fifth of the country. Mr Fedorov said Ukraine was facing a systemic governing crisis, arguing the current system is oriented toward protecting itself and resisting change. And he also condemned corruption among officials without naming anyone, saying it had weakened Ukraine's ability to fight the war.
Corruption and procurement overhaul
Mr Fedorov, 35, has said he believes a factor in his removal was an overhaul he led of the Defence Ministry's procurement system, which oversees equipment purchases. "Corruption in wartime is not merely a financial issue. It is a matter of our capability to survive and win," he said. "Every single hryvnia intended for defence must work for defence. Not for a private pocket."
Mr Fedorov's address came hours after Ukraine's Parliament received a submission from Zelensky nominating Yevhenii Khmara to be the new defence minister, Parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said on Tuesday.
Protests and political challenge
Large crowds of protesters have taken to the streets of capital Kyiv in support of Mr Fedorov over the past month following his abrupt dismissal. The demonstrations have lost some of their initial force but still draw crowds of thousands during weekend marches, with protesters carrying handmade signs demanding Zelensky reinstate Fedorov.
Zelensky's office did not immediately comment on Mr Fedorov's elections call. Although, on Wednesday, the president welcomed Parliament's approval of Mr Khmara's appointment.
Michael Clarke, visiting professor at King's College London, characterised Mr Fedorov's intervention as a 'fundamental challenge'. He thinks Mr Fedorov wants to be defence minister again or "to provoke a crisis in which Zelensky steps down".
Prof Clarke told the Mirror: "It's the most fundamental challenge to his authority since 2019, when he was elected. Today is the biggest, or most dangerous, day for him since the 24th February, 2022, when the Russians invaded. At that time, I remember saying that I thought he'd be lucky still to be alive by the end of that week given what the Russians were trying to do. This is, politically, his most dangerous day since then."
On Mr Fedorov's call, Prof Clarke added: "He knows that calling for elections is impossible but the point he makes is not a bad one… If we're fighting for democracy, we have to practice democracy in some way or other. And, although he must know elections are an impossibility in present circumstances, what he's really saying is: Zelensky, you can't stay president forever and, actually, you've not got enough of a grip on the management of government or the integrity of it."
Ongoing corruption investigations
Meanwhile, Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies announced on Wednesday that they are probing senior officials in Zelensky's office. The president remains dogged by high-level graft investigations. Last year, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak quit and was later named as a suspect in a major graft probe involving a luxury construction project. And, also last year, a major embezzlement and kickbacks scandal involving the state-owned nuclear power company brought the resignations of Ukraine's justice and energy ministers.
