Conflict lead: Democracy cannot be held hostage by the Kremlin, according to Mykhaylo Fedorov, the former defense minister dismissed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month. In a pointed video address, Fedorov called for a viable mechanism to hold elections, arguing that the state must restore a full democratic process despite ongoing hostilities.
Fedorov’s remarks, delivered late August 18, arrived as parliament prepares to vote on confirming Yevhen Khmara as the new defense minister. The challenge strikes at a sensitive moment for Zelenskyy, who has faced mounting public scrutiny over systemic corruption and a series of abrupt personnel purges, including the replacement of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko with Serhiy Koretskiy in July.
Fedorov, who served only six months, framed the current governance crisis as a threat to national survival. He argued that public trust—a massive credit granted to the government since the February 2022 invasion—must be met with radical transparency rather than opaque decision-making. By advocating for a "new social contract," he signaled a clear departure from the administration’s current trajectory.
These political tremors coincide with intense violence. Russian missile strikes in the Kharkiv region killed 10 people in Pechenihiy, while a drone strike near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant killed one staff member and injured 15 others. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi condemned the strike, warning that targeting personnel at the site poses unacceptable risks to nuclear safety. As Zelenskyy reshuffles his cabinet, including the renomination of Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, the administration remains under pressure to secure air-defense supplies amid a shrinking pipeline of US-made Patriot systems.
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