Recently dismissed former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for wartime presidential elections in a video address released Tuesday evening. This represents the most direct political and internal challenge to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Fedorov stated that Ukraine currently faces a crisis of governance and urged the nation to find a legal, safe, and realistic way to restore the full democratic process, even amid the prolonged war. Ukraine imposed martial law when Russian forces invaded in February 2022, and this military rule currently prohibits the holding of elections.
The popular former minister's abrupt sacking by President Zelenskyy recently triggered a wave of nationwide protests. His late-night appeal is being viewed as a strong hint at his own political ambitions.