Nearly two and a half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a former top defense official has thrown the country’s domestic political landscape into upheaval, launching what analysts widely describe as the most significant test of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s authority since the war began.
Mykhailo Fedorov, the 35-year-old former defense minister unexpectedly removed from his post in late July just six months after his appointment, publicly called for wartime national elections in a YouTube video posted Tuesday. Arguing that Ukrainian democracy must not become a casualty of Russian aggression, Fedorov framed the push as core to the country’s identity as a free European democracy, stating, “Ukraine is fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state.” He did not mention Zelensky by name in his address.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has operated under continuous martial law, a legal framework that formally suspends all national electoral activity. In his video, Fedorov did not outline his own immediate political ambitions, instead centering his argument on the urgent need to establish what he called a “legal, safe, and realistic mechanism” to reinstate full democratic processes even amid ongoing active conflict. He went further to warn that Ukraine is currently grappling with a “systemic crisis of governance”, that the country’s leadership has become “scared of change”, and that persistent systemic corruption remains a major drain on the nation’s war effort.
Fedorov’s dismissal in July sparked waves of public protests across multiple Ukrainian cities, and Zelensky has not yet issued a formal public response to the former minister’s latest remarks. Widely reported sources indicate Fedorov’s removal stemmed from long-running public and private tensions with then-Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. In a chain of leadership shifts that followed, Syrskyi himself was replaced by Zelensky several weeks later, after mounting public pressure from protests targeting the presidency.
During his short tenure as defense minister, Fedorov earned broad praise for overhauling the ministry’s operations, leading a high-profile anti-corruption purge, and leveraging data analytics to identify gaps and improve frontline military performance. This focus on innovation was not new: long before taking the defense portfolio, Fedorov served as Ukraine’s digital transformation minister, where he launched the volunteer “IT Army of Ukraine” to coordinate large-scale cyber operations against Russian targets in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion. He later spearheaded the wildly successful “Army of Drones” fundraising initiative, which revolutionized Ukrainian military tactics by integrating drone technology into frontline operations, and even introduced a gamified reward system that awarded credits to units for successfully striking Russian targets.
As defense minister, Fedorov doubled down on this high-tech approach, including a high-stakes request to SpaceX founder Elon Musk to restrict Russian access to Starlink satellite connectivity for drone operations. Military analysts credit that move with causing major disruptions to Russian frontline deployments and offensive advances. After his dismissal, Fedorov published a Facebook post summarizing his time in office, reaffirming his commitment to defeating Russia through asymmetric tactics, rapid innovation, and strong organizational reform.
Following Fedorov’s removal, Zelensky appointed Yevgeniy Khmara, a low-profile career intelligence official, as acting defense minister. The president offered Fedorov alternative senior positions in the cabinet, including the role of deputy prime minister for military innovation, but Fedorov has publicly stated he will only accept a return to his former post as defense minister.