Why Ukraine’s ex-defence minister is playing into Putin’s hands

Ukraine’s popular ex-defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, has demanded the country hold elections in order to address what he called a “crisis of governance”. Fedorov was sacked from his role in July, a move which sparked major protests and exposed a deep rift between the former minister and the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces. The 35-year-old, who had been a long-time ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was widely hailed for his role in reforming the nation’s military and publicly laying out how Ukraine planned to defeat Russia’s invasion. His call to hold elections represents arguably the greatest challenge to Zelensky’s leadership since the invasion began and comes at a crucial time as Ukraine seeks to step up pressure on Moscow by expanding its highly successful strikes on Russian territory. Shorts What has Fedorov said? In a video released late on Tuesday, Fedorov pushed for wartime elections to be held, arguing: “Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia”. “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,” he added. The former defence minister did not name Zelensky in his message, but appeared to reference the tensions with Ukraine’s former military chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, by claiming the government was “scared of change”. Syrskyi, who was dismissed by Ukraine’s president in the wake of protests over Fedorov’s sacking, had been accused by some of being too wedded to Soviet-era command structures and strategies. Fedorov also levelled accusations that corruption was depriving Ukraine’s military of the resources needed to effectively combat Russia, adding the country faced a “systemic crisis of governance”. Why the timing of Fedorov’s call matters Fedorov’s message came just hours before Ukraine’s government confirmed Yevhenii Khmara would permanently take up the role of defence minister, having previously been appointed as a placeholder. A former top special forces operative, Khmara was talked up by Zelensky in a video address on Wednesday. The president hailed his new defence minister as the mastermind behind Kyiv’s deep strikes into Russia and said Khmara would prioritise further expansion of those “capabilities”. Fedorov has also championed attacks on Russian territory, particularly through the use of drones, and has sought to present himself as a key driver of Ukraine’s shift to a more aggressive strategy. Ukraine’s government has confirmed that Yevhenii Khmara, pictured shaking hands with Volodymyr Zelensky, would be permanently taking up the role of defence minister (Photo: Oleksandr Magula/Getty) Khmara, who it is reported was not Zelensky’s first pick for defence minister, has received a lukewarm reception from the Ukrainian public, with Fedorov’s video potentially complicating his efforts to rebuild confidence in the military. The election call also arrived hours before Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities unveiled charges against a deputy chief of Zelensky’s office as part of an alleged money-laundering scheme. Authorities did not name the official, but Zelensky’s office said its deputy head, Iryna Mudra, had been dismissed. Zelensky has faced criticism over allegations of corruption and grafting within Ukraine’s government and military, with some high-profile advisers to the president having resigned in the face of scrutiny over their activities. Fedorov’s reference to corruption is likely to shine a fresh spotlight on the issue and prompt further questions over the president’s judgement. Putin the big winner While Fedorov justified his push for elections by claiming Ukrainians were owed an opportunity to vote on how the nation was defending itself from Russia, the Kremlin is likely to view the call as an unexpected win. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly claimed Zelensky is acting as a “dictator” and pushed for Ukraine to hold elections as part of an effort to undermine Ukrainian leadership. Those calls have in past been echoed by Donald Trump, prompting alarm from Ukrainian officials and allies. Any loss of credibility for Ukraine’s government could seriously affect its ability to secure the international support it needs to fight off Russia, while the Kremlin hopes a potentially friendlier incoming government could be pushed into accepting a deal to end the war which heavily favours Moscow. The domestic political upheaval also threatens to divert attention away from Ukraine’s recent battlefield successes, which could also assist Putin in downplaying the impact of the war on everyday Russians. However, despite Fedorov’s push, polls have consistently found most Ukrainians do not favour holding wartime elections. According to a study by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology earlier this month, around 57 per cent of Ukrainians feel a vote should only be held after the war is over.