Ukraine's Ex-Defense Chief Makes Risky Bet by Entering Electoral Politics

Even supporters of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, wgathered outside Ukraine’s parliament in Kyiv on Wednesday, Aug. 19, felt uneasy about his risky bet: entering the political fray with a call for wartime elections. A highly popular tech evangelist who pushed for reforms, Fedorov was dismissed in July in a divisive reshuffle that triggered unprecedented protests in his support.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Riding a wave of popularity, Fedorov gave an address on Tuesday, Aug. 18, in which he slammed the government, sealing his dramatic break with President Volodymyr Zelensky. As parliament approved his successor, a few dozen people gathered in a last-ditch effort to voice discontent with Fedorov’s dismissal. But they distanced themselves from his political maneuvers. “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,” she told AFP. With the address, Fedorov cast himself as a political contender and challenged the consensus against holding elections during the war – a risky move in a country where trust in politicians is low, but Zelensky’s legitimacy as a wartime leader is largely unquestioned. The address, filmed a month after his dismissal, ended speculation about Fedorov’s future and ruled out potential cooperation with the government. The video, set to pulsing music, delivered a scathing critique of the system he once tried to reform. Other Topics of Interest Russian ‘Banderol’ Type Drone Strikes Zhytomyr Police Building, Kills 2, Injures 20 “Banderol’s” flight speed of around 373 mph (600 km/h) makes it similar to a cruise missile. Bid for opposition leader Ukraine has been rocked by numerous corruption scandals, the latest of which saw a presidential aide fired on Wednesday. Eradicating corruption “is a matter of our capability to survive,” Fedorov said, adding that “we have a systemic crisis of governance.” For expert Volodymyr Fesenko, the video marked a clear departure from this alliance. “This video address that came out last night is definitely a bid for the role of opposition leader,” he said. He added, however, that the challenge was not directed at Zelensky personally but “against what you may call the collective Zelensky.” The video even featured images of former presidential aide Andriy Yermak and parliamentary faction leader David Arakhamia, alongside blurred photographs of other figures within Zelensky’s inner circle. The political move was risky in a country with low trust in politicians, especially in times of war. “In all our surveys, people say they don’t want politics right now,” Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) executive director Anton Grushetskyi told AFP. “People don’t want politicians; people want some patriots fighting for Ukraine,” he added. And Fedorov crossed the biggest red line in wartime Ukraine: holding elections. Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law, a measure still widely supported by the population as the country focuses on fighting off the Russian full-scale invasion. Only Russia and the United States have urged Kyiv to hold elections, a prospect Zelensky says he is committed to making possible, but only after hostilities end. Far from the public mood Experts have cited a flurry of obstacles, including voting for soldiers, for millions of Ukrainian refugees, and for people in occupied territories, as well as disinformation threats from Russia. KIIS regularly holds surveys on the matter. Its latest opinion poll found only 15% of respondents believe elections should be held before the end of hostilities. “We share a stable consensus,” Grushetskyi said. “Fedorov’s statements yesterday were far from the public mood.” Still, four and a half years into the war, criticism is mounting over the lack of dialogue between society and the presidency, which critics say has become increasingly insular. That lack of communication topped the list of grievances voiced by protesters at rallies against Fedorov’s removal, and again on Wednesday. “We’ve been standing for over a month now, calling for dialogue,” said 43-year-old Olya Rodionova. “We want the government to talk to the people, to listen to the people. After all, it’s us, the country that elected Zelensky.”