Zelenskyy axing Fedorov had sparked an outcry because, after seven months in the role, the ex-minister was widely viewed as innovating to ensure Ukraine’s military could continue resisting the Russian attack. Fedorov, who previously served as digital minister and also has close ties with American entrepreneur Elon Musk, made no secret of his displeasure at being booted from the defense job — and launched his counterattack on Tuesday night in a bombshell YouTube address.
“If the war drags on for another year, two, or three, could Russia effectively gain the right to determine when Ukrainians can once again choose their own government?” asked Fedorov. “I am convinced it cannot. Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia. We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state.”
Fedorov’s call comes at a difficult moment for Ukraine, marked by a deepening crisis of public trust thanks to snowballing corruption scandals and political tensions, noted Roman Lozynskyi — a Ukrainian lawmaker also from the Holos party — in a Facebook post addressed to Zelenskyy. The president’s office was rocked by further corruption raids on Tuesday, as Operation Forrest Gump gathers steam.
But the internal strife is giving fresh impetus to calls for elections, which could favor Moscow, warned the lawmaker.
“People understand that elections during the war play into the enemy’s hands. That it will be a war of all against all, a field for fakes and manipulation. A society already torn apart and wounded,” continued Lozynskyi. But amid the country’s problems, Ukrainians can no longer simply dismiss the idea, he said. “Now people no longer know what is worse: corruption and lies without elections, or trying to reset the country by taking the risk of holding elections during the war. And that is a catastrophe.”
Ukraine was due to hold its presidential election in March 2024 and parliamentary election in October 2023, but both were postponed due to the Russian invasion. Under pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy has not categorically ruled out wartime elections, but he has said they would require substantial international support — including from the U.S. and the EU — to ensure security and voting rights for Ukrainians at home and abroad.