"Democracy cannot be a hostage": Mikhail Fedorov calls for elections to be held during wartime

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov has stated the need to create a mechanism for holding elections in the country amidst the ongoing war. In his view, the right to vote must be guaranteed to all Ukrainians, regardless of their current location or status. The politician announced this on his YouTube channel, as reported by RBC-Ukraine citing his words.

Democracy as the top priority

Fedorov emphasized that Russia must not have the right to determine when Ukrainians can once again choose their government. "Democracy cannot be a hostage of Russia," he stated. According to him, Ukraine is fighting precisely to remain a free European state. Therefore, in the opinion of the former minister, it is necessary to find a legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that will allow the full democratic process to resume even if the war continues for a long time.

Key voter groups

Fedorov paid special attention to the need to ensure the right to vote for several key categories of citizens. First and foremost, this concerns military personnel who are at the front line. He also noted the importance of providing the opportunity to vote for millions of Ukrainians forced to live abroad, as well as residents of frontline regions where the situation remains tense. According to him, ignoring the interests of these groups is unacceptable for the healthy development of the state.

Crisis of trust in the authorities

The former minister drew attention to the growing dissatisfaction of citizens who do not understand the logic behind certain decisions made in the country. "People cannot live indefinitely in a state where they do not know why certain decisions are made, why some reforms move forward while others are blocked," Fedorov said. He also pointed to the problem of bureaucracy, where decisions needed at the front spend months moving through offices. Against this background, in his opinion, people get the feeling that the main criterion for officials is not professionalism, but loyalty to the system.

Historical context and challenges

Fedorov reminded that Ukraine has already done many things that the world considered impossible. He expressed confidence that a solution can be found in the current situation as well. However, experts note that the implementation of this idea is fraught with serious logistical and security challenges. Nevertheless, the very fact of discussing this topic at a high level indicates that the issue of holding elections is becoming one of the central items on the country's political agenda.