Kyiv: Ukraine’s recently ousted defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, has called for wartime elections in a bombshell address, arguing that the nation faces a crisis of governance, in the biggest internal challenge to President Volodymyr Zelensky since Russia’s invasion.

Fedorov’s call, delivered in a video address posted on social media on Tuesday (Ukraine time), is the first such demand by a major Ukrainian political figure since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections during wartime.

“Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia,” Fedorov said. “We must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to renew its full democratic process even in the conditions of a long war.”

The 35-year-old Fedorov was a longtime ally of Zelensky’s until his unexpected firing from the Defence Ministry in July, just six months after he had been appointed, vowing sweeping reforms.

Shortly after his dismissal, the tech-savvy Fedorov publicly tore into the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, exposing a bitter rift between the men and their different visions for the war.

Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets to demand the sacking of Syrskyi – an old-guard military commander blamed by his critics for heavy troop losses at the front line – and Fedorov’s reinstatement.

Although Zelensky said he had dismissed Fedorov for his inability to work with Syrskyi, the president fired the military chief shortly afterwards amid public pressure.

Protests in support of Fedorov have continued for the past month, losing some of their early momentum but still regularly drawing a couple of thousand attendees in Kyiv.

While Fedorov did not say in his address that he would contest any election, a recent poll indicated the ex-minister would comfortably beat Zelensky in a run-off vote, where the top two presidential candidates go head-to-head.

Challenge to Zelensky

Fedorov’s statement came just hours after Zelensky confirmed he had asked parliament to confirm new Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara in office on Wednesday.

In what appeared to be an open challenge to Zelensky, Fedorov said Ukraine faced a “systemic crisis of governance”.

“The old system lives by its own rules too often. It protects itself. It is scared of change,” he said.

Without naming names, Fedorov condemned official corruption, which he said was hurting Ukraine’s war effort.

The ex-minister recently said he believed his reforms of the Defence Ministry’s procurement processes, which are responsible for purchasing billions of dollars’ worth of equipment, contributed to his sacking.

Zelensky’s office had no immediate comment on Fedorov’s address.

Fedorov became Ukraine’s youngest-ever minister at 28 in 2019 when he was appointed digitalisation chief by the newly elected Zelensky. He was the last remaining member of Zelensky’s first cabinet.

His role running the Ministry of Digital Transformation saw him become an early adopter of drone warfare, which has turned combat in Ukraine on its head since 2022.

However, his nationwide profile grew significantly after his appointment to lead the vast Defence Ministry in January, when he immediately vowed a data-driven overhaul. Unlike his predecessors, Fedorov publicly laid out a strategy to defeat Russia through attrition and technological superiority.

“Our people have long been ready for a different country,” Fedorov said in his address. “Now, our state must become worthy of its people.”

Reuters