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# Sacked Ukraine defence chief demands wartime election
- URL: https://www.bushletter.com/sacked-ukraine-defence-chief-demands-wartime-election/
- Published: 2026-08-20T08:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-20T07:59:59.000Z
- Description: Ukraine's former defence minister has called for a presidential election to be held during the war, the first such demand by a senior political figure since Russia's 2022 invasion.
- Author: Editor
- Tags: Geopolitics, Europe, Mykhailo Fedorov

![Caleb Reed](https://res.cloudinary.com/dz77sb7j1/image/upload/v1774262572/bushletter/authors/caleb-reed.png)

By **Caleb Reed** · 2026-08-20

TLDR

Mykhailo Fedorov, dismissed as Ukraine's defence minister in July 2026, has publicly called for a presidential election to be held during the war, arguing democracy cannot wait for peace. Ukrainian law bans elections under martial law, and most Ukrainians polled want ballots delayed until the fighting stops.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

01Fedorov called wartime elections a democratic necessity, branding the situation a 'systemic crisis of governance'.

02Ukrainian law prohibits all elections while martial law, active since February 2022, remains in force.

0357 per cent of Ukrainians polled in August 2026 want elections held only after a final peace agreement.

04Zelensky's office gave no immediate public response to Fedorov's direct challenge.

05Yevhenii Khmara was named acting defence minister by cabinet decree on 17 July 2026.

## The challenge nobody expected

Thirty-four days after President Volodymyr Zelensky sacked him, Mykhailo Fedorov was dismissed as Ukraine's defence minister on 15 July 2026 after just six months in the role.[\[1\]](https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2026-07-16/zelensky-vs-fedorov-ukraines-defence-minister-dismissed?page=1&ref=bushletter.com) Fedorov has since done something no senior Ukrainian official has dared during the full-scale war: called openly for a presidential election while the fighting continues.

"Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia," Fedorov said.[\[6\]](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-19/ex-ukraine-defence-minister-calls-for-wartime-election/107056224?ref=bushletter.com) The statement carries weight given his record: Fedorov built Ukraine's drone programme and put Starlink terminals in the hands of frontline troops, which makes him difficult to dismiss as a fringe voice.

## What the law actually says

Under Ukraine's Law on the Legal Regime of Martial Law (No. 2102-IX, enacted 24 February 2022), presidential, parliamentary and local elections are prohibited for as long as martial law remains in force.[\[3\]](https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/v0061359-22?ref=bushletter.com) Article 83(4) of the Constitution simultaneously extends the mandates of existing legislative bodies until the regime is lifted.

The Verkhovna Rada has extended that regime in successive 90-day increments since the invasion began. Zelensky's constitutional term formally expired in March 2024, yet the presidency and parliament carry on under those extensions. Fedorov's call is not just politically provocative; it runs directly into a legal wall that only a Rada vote to end martial law could remove.

Fedorov did not pretend otherwise. "We must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to renew its full democratic process even in the conditions of a long war," he said.[\[6\]](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-19/ex-ukraine-defence-minister-calls-for-wartime-election/107056224?ref=bushletter.com) The qualification matters: Fedorov is not demanding an election tomorrow, but insisting Ukraine start working out how one could happen.

## Who Fedorov is and why this stings

Before his six months at the defence ministry, Fedorov built his reputation as Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation, turning the country into a laboratory for wartime technology diplomacy. Fedorov was the chief architect of the Army of Drones initiative and oversaw the distribution of more than 50,000 Starlink terminals to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[\[2\]](https://mod.gov.ua/news/mihajlo-fedorov-nazvav-22-kliuchovi-dosiahnennia-minoborony-pid-yoho-kerivnytstvom?ref=bushletter.com)

That record makes him a credible critic. A think-tank analysis published the day after his dismissal described the episode as the most direct internal challenge to Zelensky's wartime leadership since major dissent emerged in 2022.[\[1\]](https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2026-07-16/zelensky-vs-fedorov-ukraines-defence-minister-dismissed?page=1&ref=bushletter.com) The Kremlin will note the spectacle of the man who armed Ukraine's drones now demanding the president face voters.

"The old system lives by its own rules too often. It protects itself. It is scared of change," Fedorov said.[\[6\]](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-19/ex-ukraine-defence-minister-calls-for-wartime-election/107056224?ref=bushletter.com) It is the language of someone building a political platform, not winding down a career.

## Analysts cool on the motives

Lesia Bidochko, a policy fellow at the European Policy Institute, read the move with some scepticism. Bidochko described it as "an elegant way of occupying the opposition space without taking responsibility" for the outcome of any actual election.[\[6\]](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-19/ex-ukraine-defence-minister-calls-for-wartime-election/107056224?ref=bushletter.com)

The assessment has logic. Calling for an election you know cannot legally happen is a costless way to look like a democrat while the incumbent absorbs the criticism of refusing. Fedorov gains moral high ground at no electoral risk; if the war ends and a ballot follows, he is first out of the gate.

Zelensky's office made no immediate public comment on Fedorov's statement. The silence is its own political calculation: engaging the former minister amplifies him, while ignoring him risks letting the narrative harden.

## What Ukrainians themselves want

Fedorov is, on current polling, badly out of step with his own country. A poll published on 5 August 2026 found 57 per cent of Ukrainians believe national elections should only be held after a final peace agreement and the complete end of the war.[\[4\]](https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/08/05/8047342/index.amp/?ref=bushletter.com)

That majority is not trivial. A country under bombardment, with millions displaced and hundreds of thousands mobilised, has little appetite for the disruption of a contested national vote. The practical objections are real: running a fair ballot when a significant share of the population is at the front, internally displaced, or living abroad as refugees is a genuine problem, not a hypothetical one.

Fedorov's answer, implicit in his public statements, is that these are engineering problems rather than reasons to abandon democratic accountability indefinitely. Fedorov has not said how they would be solved.

## Khmara steps in, Fedorov steps up

The mechanics of succession moved fast. Yevhenii Khmara was appointed Acting Minister of Defence by cabinet decree on 17 July 2026, within 48 hours of Fedorov's dismissal.[\[5\]](https://mod.gov.ua/en/news/evgeniy-khmara-appointed-acting-minister-of-defence-of-ukraine?ref=bushletter.com) Kyiv was signalling institutional continuity as quickly as possible.

Khmara now runs a defence ministry that Fedorov spent six months restructuring around drone production, satellite connectivity and technology procurement. Whether Khmara preserves that direction or adjusts it will become clear in the months ahead.

For Fedorov, the transition from minister to political challenger appears to be underway. His public statements since dismissal have the cadence of someone constructing a message, not processing a setback. Whether that leads anywhere depends on the trajectory of the war, the political space that opens if martial law is eventually lifted, and whether Western partners who valued his digital-era credibility translate that into support for a broader political role. Fedorov's term as defence minister ended on 15 July 2026; what comes next is still being written.

SOURCES & CITATIONS

1. [Zelensky vs Fedorov: Ukraine's defence minister dismissed](https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2026-07-16/zelensky-vs-fedorov-ukraines-defence-minister-dismissed?page=1&ref=bushletter.com)
2. [Fedorov names 22 key achievements of the Ministry of Defence under his leadership](https://mod.gov.ua/news/mihajlo-fedorov-nazvav-22-kliuchovi-dosiahnennia-minoborony-pid-yoho-kerivnytstvom?ref=bushletter.com)
3. [Law on the Legal Regime of Martial Law No. 2102-IX](https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/v0061359-22?ref=bushletter.com)
4. [Poll: 57 per cent of Ukrainians want elections after the war](https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/08/05/8047342/index.amp/?ref=bushletter.com)
5. [Evgeniy Khmara appointed Acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine](https://mod.gov.ua/en/news/evgeniy-khmara-appointed-acting-minister-of-defence-of-ukraine?ref=bushletter.com)
6. [Ex-Ukraine defence minister calls for wartime election](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-19/ex-ukraine-defence-minister-calls-for-wartime-election/107056224?ref=bushletter.com)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can Ukraine legally hold an election right now?

No. Under Ukraine's Law on the Legal Regime of Martial Law, enacted on 24 February 2022, all presidential, parliamentary and local elections are prohibited while martial law remains active. The Verkhovna Rada has extended martial law in 90-day increments since the invasion began, and there is no scheduled end date.

Why was Fedorov dismissed?

The official reasons for his dismissal on 15 July 2026 were not publicly detailed by Zelensky's office. Fedorov had served six months as defence minister after previously serving as Minister of Digital Transformation, where he oversaw the Army of Drones programme and Starlink terminal distribution to the armed forces.

What do Ukrainians think about holding elections during the war?

A poll published on 5 August 2026 found 57 per cent of Ukrainians want elections delayed until after a final peace agreement and the full end of the war. Public opinion is broadly against disrupting the war effort with a contested national ballot.

Who is now running Ukraine's defence ministry?

Yevhenii Khmara was appointed Acting Minister of Defence by cabinet decree on 17 July 2026, within 48 hours of Fedorov's dismissal.

![Caleb Reed](https://res.cloudinary.com/dz77sb7j1/image/upload/v1774262572/bushletter/authors/caleb-reed.png)

[Caleb Reed](https://bushletter.com/author/caleb-reed/?ref=bushletter.com)

Caleb Reed covers breaking news and sport. He works to the rhythm of a story as it unfolds, and he is happiest when the facts arrive faster than anyone can spin them.