Zelenskyy Faces Biggest Internal Crisis as Former Defense Minister Publicly Calls for 'Elections During War'

Oleksii Fedorov, Ukraine's former defense minister, delivered an approximately nine-minute speech on Tuesday (18th), calling for nationwide elections to be held even as the war continues. He criticized the current government's governance, stating that the nation faces a crisis of leadership.

The UK's The Guardian described this as the most direct challenge to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. Reuters also reported that Zelenskyy is facing the 'biggest internal challenge' since the war began.

Fedorov was abruptly dismissed from his post as defense minister by President Zelenskyy last month, sparking waves of protest across Ukraine.

Although Fedorov did not directly name Zelenskyy during his speech, he sharply criticized the performance of the current administration and voiced concerns over Ukraine's governance.

According to Politico Europe, Fedorov also strongly condemned corruption within Ukraine and called for greater accountability and transparency from the government.

The Guardian noted that Fedorov believes Ukraine has the conditions necessary to conduct nationwide elections despite the ongoing war with Russia.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Zelenskyy formally nominated acting Defense Minister Yevhenii Hrymashchuk (Hermelya) as the new defense minister. Ukraine's Supreme Rada (parliament) is expected to debate and vote on the nomination on Wednesday.

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, all elections in Ukraine have been suspended. Zelenskyy's five-year presidential term was originally set to end in May 2024.

Recent polling by the Ukrainian Sociological Research Center indicates that if presidential elections were restored, Zelenskyy would likely lead in the first round of voting. However, in a second-round runoff, he could potentially lose to either Fedorov or General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukraine's presidential election uses a two-round voting system.