00:00Ukraine's former Defense Minister Mikhailo Fedorov has called for wartime elections
00:05in what could become the biggest internal challenge to President Volodymyr Zelensky
00:10since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
00:14In a video posted on YouTube, Fedorov makes a case
00:18that Ukraine's democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia.
00:23He called for a legal, safe and realistic mechanism
00:27to restore the country's full democratic process even while the war continues.
00:32Ukrainian law currently bars elections during wartime
00:35and no major political figure has publicly challenged that position since the invasion.
00:41Fedorov, a long-time Zelensky ally, was unexpectedly removed as Defense Minister in July
00:46just six months after taking the post.
00:49His dismissal triggered protests across Ukraine.
00:53During his brief tenure, Fedorov built a reputation as a reformer
00:57willing to challenge the military establishment,
00:59fueling speculation that he could emerge as a political rival to Zelensky.
01:04Fedorov also accused Ukraine of facing a systemic crisis of governance,
01:09saying institutions are scared of change and that corruption is undermining the war effort.
01:14However, he did not directly name Zelensky.
01:17Fedorov's call for elections is the first such demand from a major Ukrainian political figure
01:22since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
01:24In addition,
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