Sacked Ukrainian defence minister calls for wartime elections, accuses Zelenskyy administration of governance crisis

On August 19, 2026, Ukraine's parliament confirmed Yevhen Khmara as defence minister, succeeding Mykhailo Fedorov, who was sacked in July. The same day, Fedorov released a nine-minute YouTube video calling for wartime presidential elections and accusing President Zelenskyy's administration of a "systemic crisis of governance" in which defence-ministry corruption hurt the war effort. Fedorov said "Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia" and hinted his anti-corruption push in procurement led to his dismissal. His video referenced Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's former chief of staff who resigned amid a scandal; Yermak's lawyer called the allegations "baseless." The video escalated a confrontation following rare, month-long protests in central Kyiv over Fedorov's removal.