The former Minister of Defense of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov blew up the political space in the country with an unprecedented video address on his personal YouTube channel. In it, the influential politician openly called for finding a legal mechanism to hold elections in Ukraine, despite the ongoing war. Fedorov was adamant that the country should not allow the Kremlin to dictate its domestic political life.
„If the war continues for another year, two or three, can Russia actually get the right to determine when Ukrainians will be able to choose their government again? I am convinced that not. Democracy cannot be a hostage to Russia“, said the former head of the defense ministry, quoted by Ukrainskaya Pravda.
Crisis of loyalty and private interests in parliament
In addition to the call for the resumption of the electoral process, Mikhail Fedorov issued severe criticism of the current government, warning of systemic crisis of governance in Ukraine. According to him, the old system is self-protecting and blocking key reforms, and corruption during wartime is taking on alarming proportions.
„It is especially dangerous when society develops the feeling that the main criterion for appointing a person to a position is not his professionalism, results or ability to change the country, but only personal loyalty to the system. "A modern state cannot function like this. Even less a state that is waging a war for its survival," Fedorov stressed in his analysis, reported by Deutsche Welle (dw.com). He added that there are manifestations of private interests in parliament that undermine the trust of citizens.
The political context and mass protests
The former minister's statement comes at an extremely delicate moment. On August 18, President Volodymyr Zelensky officially submitted to the Verkhovna Rada the proposal to appoint Yevgeny Khmara (former head of the "Alpha" special forces of the SBU) as the new permanent Minister of Defense. Today, August 19, the parliament is expected to vote on the nomination, the NV (nv.ua) agency notes.
We recall that Mikhailo Fedorov was removed from office in mid-July 2026 due to a deep strategic conflict with the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Sirsky, over the modernization of the army and the use of drones. Fedorov's dismissal unleashed a large-scale wave of civil protests in Kiev and other major cities demanding his return to office. Although Syrsky was subsequently also replaced in office by Mikhail Drapati, Fedorov refused Zelensky's offers for other deputy prime ministerial positions, insisting that he would only return to the Ministry of Defense to complete the reforms that had been initiated, the BBC recalls (bbc.com/russian).
According to the latest sociological surveys by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), Fedorov remains among the three politicians with the highest trust in Ukraine (63%), ahead of even President Zelensky (56%).
The holding of elections in the country is currently legally limited by the current martial law. However, Fedorov admits that while securing a vote for the military at the front and the millions of refugees abroad is a huge challenge, “complexity does not mean impossibility”.