He expressed this opinion after the former defense minister called for a vote to be held.
“I think that in such a war, elections themselves are a huge risk. Elections now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine,” said V. Zelensky in comments published on Sunday.
As BNS wrote, last month dismissed popular former Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Tuesday called for moving towards elections that were postponed due to the Russian invasion.
Martial law has been imposed in Ukraine since Russian forces crossed the border in February 2022. This legally prohibits holding elections in the country.
“Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia,” said M. Fedorov in a video posted on the YouTube platform.
“We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state,” he said.
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M. Fedorov said that Ukraine must find a “legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that would allow Ukraine to restore a comprehensive democratic process even during a protracted war.”
The former defense minister acknowledged the obstacles to holding a vote under war conditions, including how to ensure that soldiers, people living near the front line, and millions of Ukrainians abroad could vote.
“It is complicated (…) But complicated does not mean impossible,” added M. Fedorov.
Appointed defense minister in January, M. Fedorov tried to reform the army, which was shaken by scandals over corruption, lack of equipment, absenteeism, treatment of conscripts, and an unpopular mobilization campaign.
His dismissal in July sparked weeks of protests, increasing pressure on President V. Zelensky, who later replaced the army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, widely seen as M. Fedorov’s rival.
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