‘Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia’: Ousted after clashing with Ukraine’s top general, Mykhailo Fedorov now argues elections can’t wait for peace

In a video address, Ukraine’s former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for a “legal, safe, and realistic mechanism” that would allow Ukraine to “resume a fully functioning democratic process even amid an ongoing war”:

If the war continues for another year, two, or three, can Russia, in effect, gain the right to determine when Ukrainians can once again choose their own government? I am convinced it cannot. Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia. We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state.

Fedorov acknowledged that holding elections would be difficult, since voting rights would have to be guaranteed for service members, millions of Ukrainians abroad, and residents of frontline regions. But difficulty, he said, “doesn’t make it impossible.”

“Ukraine has already done what the world considered impossible many times before. We can find a solution here as well, because democracy is not a peacetime luxury — democracy is part of what we are fighting for today,” the former defense minister added.

• Fedorov had held the post since January 2026. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him in July, reportedly because of a conflict with the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. The dismissal set off street protests. Syrskyi was dismissed shortly afterward as well. Protests demanding Fedorov’s reinstatement are continuing.

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