Mikhail Fedorov. Photo by Andrii Nesterenko/Reuters
“If the war continues for another year, two, or three, could Russia effectively gain the right to determine when Ukrainians will once again be able to elect their own government? I am convinced that it cannot,” Fyodorov said.
According to him, Ukraine needs to find a “legitimate, secure, and realistic mechanism” that will allow for the restoration of a fully-fledged democratic process during the war. At the same time, current Ukrainian legislation does not permit elections to be held during martial law.
Fedorov acknowledged that organizing a vote under such conditions would be difficult. In particular, it is necessary to ensure the right to vote for military personnel, millions of Ukrainians living abroad, and residents of frontline territories, as well as to guarantee the security of the electoral process.
“Difficulty does not mean impossibility,” the former minister stated.
In his statement, Fedorov also criticized the work of the Ukrainian authorities. He called corruption merely a symptom of a deeper problem—a systemic crisis of governance. According to the politician, the existing system makes decisions too slowly and resists change.
The statement came a month after Fedorov resigned as defense minister. He had headed the ministry since January 2026 and was dismissed in July amid a conflict with the then-commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky. Following Fedorov’s resignation, protests took place in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities demanding his reinstatement to the government and Syrsky’s dismissal.
Syrsky himself was subsequently also removed from office.
Thus, Fedorov’s call for elections became not merely a statement about the necessity of a democratic process during wartime, but also part of his broader criticism of the current system of governance.
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