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Ukraine’s ousted defense chief urges elections during wartime
The comments came as lawmakers prepared a vote on August 19 to confirm acting Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s mid-July personnel decision.
A popular former defense minister who was dismissed last month and helped spark protests delivered a videotaped message to Ukrainians, arguing that Ukraine must find a way to hold elections even as Russia’s full-scale invasion continues, OilPrice reports.
Mykhaylo Fedorov, speaking late on August 18, said Ukraine faces a systemic governance crisis marked by wartime corruption, and he urged a legal, safe and realistic mechanism to restore a democratic process during protracted war.
Fedorov’s remarks followed hours after lawmakers said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked parliament to confirm acting Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara, with a vote expected on August 19.
OilPrice notes that no elections have been held since Zelenskyy was elected to a five-year term in 2019, because martial law has been in place since Russia launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022.