Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be questioned about government corruption. This was stated to the BBC by the dismissed Minister of Defense Mikhail Fedorov.
He specified that he had not seen the president engaged in any corrupt activity.
"In all the time I worked with him, I have never received from him a task or assignment that would contradict the law or my sense of integrity," Fedorov said.
The former minister also repeated his call for elections in Ukraine, days after publishing a video in which he called for voting in wartime.
"Democracy should not be held hostage by Putin," he said, but failed to announce his own political ambitions.
There were angry protests against Fedorov's dismissal, but his support has waned and the demonstrations ended on Wednesday after his deputy was confirmed. His call for a vote was widely rejected.
When asked if he missed his old job, the 35-year-old replied "No", citing the ongoing stress of managing Ukraine's war with Russia while simultaneously transforming the defense ministry.
Ukraine has been under martial law since a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, meaning the election has been suspended. Zelensky's five-year presidential term ends in May 2024.
But Fedorov said it was his "moral right" to start talking about the election.
"We shouldn't be afraid to discuss it. That's what democracy is all about. If I can't share my ideas and be open about them with my own society, then what are we fighting for?" he asked.
If elections are never held, he said, "then we are no longer a democracy."