Zelenskyy Rejects Wartime Elections, Citing Risk of Splitting Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected calls for wartime elections, stating they pose a huge risk and would split Ukraine.

Zelenskyy made these remarks in comments released on Sunday, responding to a proposal from dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to organize a vote. Under martial law, elections are currently suspended in Ukraine, a measure with wide public support as the country fights the Russian invasion launched in 2022. Zelenskyy said, "If we want to destroy the country, then we can move in the direction of elections during these times of war."

Zelenskyy publicly detailed his dispute with Fedorov for the first time during a two-hour off-the-record meeting with reporters on Saturday, with a transcript released Sunday. He stated, "I really had and still have a very positive attitude toward Mykhailo. We have been through a lot together. But I believe that he himself goes, or is pushed, into the wrong things."

Fedorov, a popular minister credited with modernizing Ukraine’s armed forces, was dismissed last month after reportedly falling out with the country’s top military commander. His removal triggered mass protests that lasted for weeks. Fedorov later called for elections in a video address on Tuesday, August 18, arguing that democracy should not be the hostage of Putin.

Zelenskyy said he offered Fedorov four different options to continue working in government, but Fedorov rejected all four proposals. Fedorov told the BBC that Zelenskyy has questions to answer about corruption in his government, citing a money laundering investigation announced last week. Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau reportedly searched the home of Iryna Mudra, a presidential deputy chief of staff, who was later sacked by Zelenskyy on Wednesday. Zelenskyy also alluded to problematic decisions over defense spending and inaccurate information provided by the Defense Ministry.