For over a month, Ukrainians have been demonstrating for the return of Mychajlo Fedorow as defense minister. The former defense minister was dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in mid-July during a government reshuffle. Now, in a video address on Tuesday evening, Fedorow surprisingly called for elections during the war – but the movement that supported him is turning its back on him.
Leading organizers of the protests clearly reject elections under wartime conditions and announce the end of the daily rallies. Dmytro Koziatynskyj, a Ukrainian war veteran and co-organizer, wrote on X on Wednesday evening that he is opposed to elections during the war. He cannot imagine how one could technically enable thousands of soldiers at the front to vote and run as candidates. After four and a half years of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine cannot afford the division that an election campaign would trigger.
With this, Koziatynskyj drew a line under a month of protests that had begun after Fedorow’s dismissal. He emphasized that the demonstrations were about the direction of Ukraine’s defense policy, not Fedorow’s personal political future. At the same time, he voiced support for the designated successor Yevhen Khmara, whom Zelensky officially nominated this week. He wished Khmara success and hoped he would continue the reform course and the fight against corruption.
The reaction from the presidential office was brief. Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Zelensky, stated that the daily attacks by Russian drones and missiles give a clear answer to the question of elections. On social networks, many users also criticized the timing of Fedorow’s appearance and his motives. One soldier asked whether soldiers should cast their votes in cities near the heaviest fighting in the east.
Source: de.euronews.com
