Former Ukrainian defense minister Fedorov calls for elections during wartime and demands answer from Zelensky

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov gave an interview to the BBC in which he again called for holding elections under wartime conditions and demanded a clear answer from President Volodymyr Zelensky on whether he had known about corruption in his inner circle.

In the interview, Fedorov said that democracy should not become a hostage to the circumstances of war. According to him, he has a “moral right” to raise the issue of elections.

“Democracy should not be a hostage to Putin. We should not be afraid to discuss this. That is the essence of democracy. If I cannot share my ideas and speak openly about them with my own society, then what are we fighting for?” — Fedorov said in the interview with the BBC.

If elections are not held, the former minister stressed, “then we will cease to be a democracy.” At the same time, according to the BBC, Fedorov refrained from making any statements about his own political ambitions.

Earlier, Zelensky said that Fedorov was being “pushed toward the wrong things” and noted that he had turned down four positions offered to him. Fedorov himself currently holds no official posts and has fallen out of the official chain of power.

Shortly before the interview, ambassadors of European Union countries held a meeting with the leadership of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies — NABU and SAP — which have accused Zelensky’s inner circle of corruption.