Le Monde: Fedorov “settled scores” with Zelensky by calling for elections in Ukraine

French newspaper Le Monde has characterized the statement by former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as an unprecedented political move — one month after his resignation, he called for the restoration of the democratic process and the holding of elections during wartime.

According to the publication, Fedorov “crossed a line that no influential Ukrainian politician had dared to cross since February 24, 2022.” Although President Volodymyr Zelensky is not mentioned by name in the former minister’s address, Le Monde believes that Fedorov “decided to settle scores with the head of state in a sharp manner.”

In a video nearly ten minutes long, Fedorov, as described by the newspaper, “paints an extremely harsh picture of the Ukrainian political system,” pointing to corruption, a “systemic governance crisis,” and public distrust of the authorities.

“First and foremost, Mykhailo Fedorov crossed a line that no influential Ukrainian politician had dared to cross since February 24, 2022, by calling for the ‘restoration of the democratic process’ and, consequently, for the holding of elections in a war-ravaged country,” Le Monde’s article states.

According to the French publication, the former minister took the biggest risk of his political career while simultaneously affirming his own ambitions.

Fedorov himself spoke of a systemic governance crisis in the country and the need to hold presidential elections even amid the ongoing military conflict. In his words, power exists to serve Ukraine, not itself.

Zelensky’s office has already weighed in on Fedorov’s idea of holding elections.