Ex-defence minister Fedorov explains when he will decide whether to run in elections

Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said he is not opposed to any particular politician and will decide whether to stand for election once preparations for the election process have been made.

Source: Fedorov in an interview with 24 Kanal

Quote: "I am currently not opposed to any particular politician or party. I am definitely opposed to the old system, to the corruption that exists…

A lot of people interpreted the video [Fedorov's video address – ed.] as me starting some kind of campaign. But in fact, if you watch the video carefully, I talked about certain principles and values, about the need to restore the democratic process. That is the key idea behind all of this, and it is a difficult path that needs to be taken. But it is not as difficult as most people currently think."

Details: Fedorov said he would decide the form that his involvement in presidential or parliamentary elections would take "when we get to that process".

"Right now, it's very important to prepare for the elections so that they are unbiased and not skewed towards a particular candidate or party… And when we reach that point, because we will 100% reach it, then I will look at how we have travelled this road, who we travelled it with and how everyone has conducted themselves, and I'll decide whether to back someone, act independently, or not proceed at all," he said.

Fedorov recalled that in December 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed parliament to develop mechanisms for holding elections during the war.

"And for six months, a group of MPs worked with experts to develop them. Not only that, 60-70% of this legislation has already been drafted, and specific mechanisms have already been worked out for each category of people. So I wasn't even the first to raise this. It had already been raised, and a large number of solutions had already been developed," he said.

Regarding voting by Ukrainians abroad, Fedorov proposed using online tools to pre-register those wishing to vote in order to determine the number of polling stations needed in each country and the duration of the vote.

"In fact, the vote doesn't have to take place on just one day. In the US there is early voting, and voting takes place over more than a week. Here, we could have several days for countries where there are large numbers of Ukrainians. The same applies inside the country," he suggested.

As for military personnel, Fedorov said that around half of them are not in frontline areas and could vote at ordinary polling stations.

"A large number of military personnel serving in military groupings are based in major cities – Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Dnipro. Underground schools, nurseries and government offices also operate in these cities. Why can't people vote in underground premises there, if the process goes on for several days rather than just one? But this needs to be worked on further with experts," the former minister added.

Background:

• On 18 August, Fedorov urged Ukraine not to allow Russia to decide when Ukrainians would be able to elect their government again.
• Sources told the BBC that the President's Office believes Fedorov's idea of holding elections demonstrates a "lack of realism".
• Fedorov's team told Ukrainska Pravda that his call for elections does not mean he wants "to hold them tomorrow", but was intended to highlight the need to make thorough preparations and address all the issues related to the process in detail.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.