Ex-defence chief’s call for wartime election raises pressure on Zelenskyy

Ukraine election debate grows as ousted defence minister challenges wartime politics

Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukraine’s sacked defence minister has dumbfounded his wartime nation’s political establishment – again.

Mykhailo Fedorov, a 35-year-old technocrat with no military experience, won praise for his unorthodox, out-of-the-box steps during his short stint that began in January.

He was not in charge of the actual warfare but was responsible for logistics, technological innovations, anticorruption measures and talks to secure aid or loans from Western allies.

Fedorov’s achievements included the orchestration of daring cyberattacks and a months-long campaign of drone and missile strikes that destroyed Russian supply lines, oil refineries and warehouses storing dual-purpose items.

But Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president and Fedorov’s mentor, dismissed him in July following the defence minister’s deepening falling-out with top general Oleksandr Syrskii.

Since he was fired, Fedorov has repeatedly emphasised his loyalty to Zelenskyy and refused to accept other jobs such as a presidential aide in charge of reforms.

He also claimed to have turned down a project with Palantir Technologies , a controversial, US-based software company that began collaborating with Ukraine’s military during Fedorov’s tenure.