Mykhailo Fedorov urges Ukraine wartime elections

Ukraine's former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has broken with President Volodymyr Zelensky by criticising the government and calling for wartime elections, a move that unsettled some supporters gathered outside parliament in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Fedorov, a popular tech reformer, was dismissed in July in a divisive reshuffle that triggered unprecedented protests in his support. On Tuesday, he gave an address criticising the government and challenging Ukraine's broad consensus against holding elections during the war.

As parliament approved his successor, a few dozen people gathered to voice discontent with Fedorov's dismissal. Some distanced themselves from his political turn.

“I watched and it disappointed me,” Yevgeniia, one of the protesters, said about Fedorov's address. “What was good about Fedorov was that he was a manager, not a politician. And now he's gone from being a manager to being a politician.”

Fedorov said Ukraine had “a systemic crisis of governance” and said eradicating corruption “is a matter of our capability to survive.” Ukraine has faced multiple corruption scandals, including one in which a presidential aide was fired on Wednesday.

Political expert Volodymyr Fesenko said the address was “definitely a bid for the role of opposition leader,” though he said the challenge was aimed less at Zelensky personally than at what he called the wider Zelensky circle.

Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law, a measure still widely supported as the country fights Russia's invasion. Zelensky says he is committed to making elections possible only after hostilities end.

Anton Grushetskyi, executive director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, said people do not want politics now. He said the institute's latest poll found only 15% believe elections should be held before the end of hostilities.

Experts have cited obstacles to wartime elections including voting for soldiers, millions of Ukrainian refugees and people from occupied territories, as well as disinformation threats from Russia.

Criticism has also grown over what some critics describe as a lack of dialogue between society and the presidency. “We've been standing for over a month now, calling for dialogue,” protester Olya Rodionova said outside parliament.