In a surprise video interview posted on Tuesday, former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov urged Ukraine to hold elections despite the war with Russia, a stance that has been widely seen as a direct challenge to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine has been under martial law since the full‑scale Russian invasion in 2022, which automatically suspends all national elections. Fedorov argued that “democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia,” suggesting that holding elections could signal resistance and restore a sense of normalcy for a war‑torn nation.
However, critics point to practical difficulties in staging free and fair elections amid a sustained military conflict. Questions remain about how voting would be organised in hostile areas, how the ballot would be safeguarded, and whether the public could freely express their political will while under martial law.
Fedorov has not indicated any plans to run himself in such an election, nor has he detailed how the electoral process would be implemented. His call has sparked debate among politicians, civil society groups, and foreign observers about the future of Ukraine’s political system during wartime.
BBC‑Kyiv correspondent Dan Johnson reports that the video comes at a time of heightened political sensitivity, with the Ukrainian government balancing war priorities against democratic governance and international scrutiny.
