Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022
Ukraine’s recently dismissed former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for presidential elections to be held despite the ongoing war with Russia, delivering one of the most direct political challenges to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Russian missile and drone attacks regularly target Ukrainian cities, while fighting stretches across a front line of more than 1,200km. Because fedorov is not an outsider, why Fedorov’s election call matters The appeal could prove politically significant.
Fedorov’s intervention comes weeks after Zelenskyy abruptly removed him as defence minister, only six months after his appointment. His dismissal triggered rare wartime protests in Kyiv and has fuelled speculation about growing tensions within Ukraine’s political establishment. Zelenskyy has not publicly responded to the call for elections. A former digital minister and one of the prominent young reformers in Zelenskyy’s team, he played a key role in Ukraine’s wartime adoption of drone technology and other innovations. His sudden removal, reportedly amid tensions with military leadership, had already exposed divisions within the government. Why a wartime election would be extremely difficult Holding an election while the war continues would present enormous logistical and security challenges. The situation is further complicated by Russian occupation of roughly a fifth of Ukraine. Ensuring voting rights for people in occupied areas, protecting polling stations and preventing Russian interference would all require new legal and security arrangements.