Former defence minister Fedorov calls says Ukraine faces "systemic governance crisis" and warns of private interests in parliament
Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said Ukraine is facing a "systemic governance crisis" and criticised the influence of private interests on the work of parliament, particularly in defence, pharmaceuticals, gambling and taxation.
Source: Fedorov's address on YouTube
Details: Fedorov said that, in his view, the old system of governance "lives by its own rules", protects itself, fears change, makes decisions slowly and can "punish initiative and reward loyalty".
Quote: "Parliamentary governance should be based on the majority's programme, values and principles, rather than its own private interests in defence, pharmaceuticals, gambling and taxation. Because parliament is the heart of Ukrainian democracy, not its wallet."
Details: When Fedorov spoke about the majority's programme, values and principles, footage of the Verkhovna Rada chamber was shown. When he mentioned "private interests in defence, pharmaceuticals, gambling and taxation", footage appeared showing Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People party, the ruling parliamentary faction, speaking to journalists.
Fedorov did not mention Arakhamiia by name in his speech and did not directly link him to any of the sectors he referred to.
The former minister also said that being in government should mean taking responsibility for results, while a sense of injustice erodes citizens' trust in the state.
Quote: "When someone on the line of contact risks their life while someone in the rear steals from the war effort. When businesses pay taxes but instead face arbitrary actions by law enforcement. When a talented person cannot change the system because they are 'an outsider'.
When society is simply informed about decisions, but no one explains why they were made. That is how the most important thing is gradually destroyed – trust between citizens and the state."
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Background:
- From 16 July, protests have taken place in Kyiv and other cities to demand Fedorov's reinstatement as defence minister.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that Fedorov and former commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi had been unable to find common ground and that problems on the battlefield, within brigades and with mobilisation remained unresolved.
- On 16 July, Fedorov said at a briefing that media campaigns against him could be underway and specifically referred to statements made by Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy. He also drew attention to reports by the Trukha Telegram channel, which, according to Fedorov, began systematically criticising him after a change of ownership and linking him to high-profile incidents involving military enlistment offices. Fedorov called for an investigation into who was behind such information campaigns against the defence minister during the full-scale war.
- After six days of protests, Zelenskyy announced that he had decided to dismiss Syrskyi as commander-in-chief and appoint Mykhailo Drapatyi to replace him.
- In an interview with The New York Times in early August, Fedorov said he would not become a political opponent of Zelenskyy during the war, but would only return to government if he were reinstated as defence minister.
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