Ukraine's axed defence minister demands wartime election - with polls saying he would beat Zelensky

Ukraine's ousted Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for wartime elections in a bombshell address on Tuesday, arguing the nation faced 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 YouTube, 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. Ukraine's ousted Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for wartime elections in a bombshell address on Tuesday President Volodymyr Zelensky fired Fedorov from the Defence Ministry in July, just six months after he had been appointed, prompting nationwide protests Demonstrators hold signs and shout slogans during a rally to protest against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to replace Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 16Although Zelensky said he had dismissed Fedorov because of his inability to work with Syrskyi, the president fired the military chief shortly afterwards under 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 thousand attendees in Kyiv.While Fedorov did not say in his address that he would compete in any election, a recent poll indicated the ex-minister would comfortably beat Zelensky in a runoff vote, where the top two presidential candidates go head-to-head.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 providing names, Fedorov condemned official corruption, which he said hurt Ukraine's war effort.The ex-minister recently said he believed his reform of the Defence Ministry's procurement processes, responsible for purchasing billions of dollars of equipment, contributed to his sacking.Zelensky's office had no immediate comment on Fedorov's address.The youngest minister in Ukraine's history when he was appointed aged 28 as Ukraine's digitalisation chief, Fedorov spent six years in that post. He was the last remaining member of Zelensky's first cabinet in 2019.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 greatly after his appointment to run the vast Defence Ministry in January, immediately vowing 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.' A Ukrainian FP-1 long-range attack drone is launched by the 413th Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems 'Raid' on a deep-strike drone mission to hit Russian targets deep in their territory, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, August 16 A soldier of Ukraine's 413th Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems 'Raid' prepares FP-1 long-range attack drones 413th Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems 'Raid' soldier holds the Regiment insignia depicting Moscow's burning Kremlin hit by a Ukrainian long-range attack drone, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, August 16 Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Russia this year, with long-range missiles and swarms of drones targeting military industries and energy facilitiesA massive logistics centre on the outskirts of Moscow remained in flames on Sunday morning following a wave of overnight Ukrainian drone attacks.Hundreds of miles away, Ukrainian drone crews had barely paused after the night’s work before starting to prepare for another attack. A small group of soldiers quickly assembled in a sunflower field in southern Ukraine, gathering around 20 small planelike drones laden with explosives, before launching them toward Russia. The launch by the Ukrainian 413th 'Raid' Unmanned Systems Regiment on Sunday morning was observed by a team of Associated Press journalists — a rare glimpse into a rapidly expanding part of Ukraine’s war effort. It’s Ukraine’s latest tactic — long-range drones designed to carry the war deep inside Russia, striking military, industrial and logistical sites far from the front line. Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Russia this year, with long-range missiles and swarms of drones targeting military industries and energy facilities.It has also increasingly pummeled giant Wildberries depots, burning billions of dollars’ worth of merchandise belonging to the Russian online retail giant.Those attacks have brought the war home to the Russian public, nearly four and a half years into Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The scale of the attacks has also forced Russia’s military to stretch air defences over a larger area, disrupted airports, sparked fuel shortages and undermined morale in Russia.The regiment’s commander, Yevhen Karas, said his unit had also taken part hours earlier in the strike on the Wildberries warehouse, about 28 miles south of Moscow, during one of Ukraine’s largest attacks on Russia to date. Ukraine will need to punish the Kremlin 'if we want to get a stable and long period of peace, and normal peace,' Karas said. 'The bigger casualties they have,' the sooner they will go for peace, he added.