Former Ukrainian Defense Minister to Challenge President Zelensky

Following his dismissal as Ukraine's Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov has positioned himself as a primary challenger to President Volodymyr Zelensky, more than four years into Russia's full-scale invasion.

Fedorov was removed from his post by Zelensky last month, having served as Defense Minister for approximately six months. This decision caused significant public outcry across Ukraine, as Fedorov had become a highly popular figure. His popularity stemmed from his ability to motivate the military and improve performance through a greater reliance on data analysis. This approach reportedly led to disagreements with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, and this apparent rift is believed to be the reason for Fedorov's dismissal from Zelensky's government.

With the conflict ongoing, Fedorov is now seeking to contest Zelensky's presidency in Ukraine. He has called for wartime trials to select the nation's leader. However, Ukraine has been under martial law since the war began, meaning traditional elections have been suspended since 2022.

In a video shared on social media, as reported by BBC News, Fedorov stated, "Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia," and emphasized that the right to choose the country's leader is fundamental to their aspiration of remaining "a free European state."

It remains uncertain whether elections will be held, as Zelensky has not yet responded to Fedorov's video.

Original Text (French): Après avoir été démis de ses fonctions de ministre de la Défense de l'Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov s'est désormais imposé comme le principal adversaire du président Volodymyr Zelensky depuis que la Russie a envahi le pays il y a plus de quatre ans. Fedorov a été limogé par Zelensky le mois dernier après avoir occupé le poste de ministre de la Défense pendant environ six mois, une décision qui a provoqué un tollé dans toute l'Ukraine, car Fedorov était devenu une figure très populaire. Sa popularité venait de sa capacité à motiver les militaires et à améliorer les performances en s’appuyant davantage sur l’analyse des données, une approche qui l’a mis en désaccord avec le commandant en chef de l’armée, Oleksandr Syrskyi. C’est apparemment cette rupture entre les deux hommes qui a conduit au limogeage de Fedorov du gouvernement de Zelensky. Alors que le conflit se poursuit dans la région, Fedorov cherche désormais à contester la présidence de Zelensky en Ukraine, puisqu’il a appelé à la tenue de procès en temps de guerre pour désigner le dirigeant du pays. Le problème, c’est que l’Ukraine est sous loi martiale depuis le début de la guerre, ce qui signifie que les élections traditionnelles ont été suspendues depuis 2022. Dans une vidéo partagée par Fedorov sur les réseaux sociaux, comme le rapporte BBC News, le politicien a expliqué « la démocratie ne peut pas être prise en otage par la Russie » et que le droit de choisir le dirigeant à la tête du pays fait partie des raisons pour lesquelles « on veut rester un État européen libre ». On ne sait pas encore si des élections auront lieu, Zelensky n’ayant pas encore réagi à la vidéo.

English Translation: After being removed from his post as Ukraine's Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov has now established himself as the main opponent of President Volodymyr Zelensky since Russia invaded the country over four years ago. Fedorov was dismissed by Zelensky last month after holding the position of Defense Minister for about six months, a decision that caused an outcry throughout Ukraine, as Fedorov had become a very popular figure. His popularity stemmed from his ability to motivate the military and improve performance by relying more on data analysis, an approach that put him at odds with the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Oleksandr Syrskyi. It is apparently this rift between the two men that led to Fedorov's dismissal from Zelensky's government. As the conflict continues in the region, Fedorov is now seeking to contest Zelensky's presidency in Ukraine, as he has called for wartime trials to designate the country's leader. The problem is that Ukraine has been under martial law since the start of the war, which means traditional elections have been suspended since 2022. In a video shared by Fedorov on social media, as reported by BBC News, the politician explained "democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia" and that the right to choose the leader at the head of the country is part of the reasons why "we want to remain a free European state." It is not yet known if elections will take place, as Zelensky has not yet reacted to the video.