After being relieved of his duties as the defence minister of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov has now stepped up to become the biggest challenger to president Volodymyr Zelensky since Russia invaded the country over four years ago.
Fedorov was recently sacked by Zelensky last month after operating in the role of defence minister for the country for around six months, a decision that led to uproar throughout Ukraine, as Fedorov had grown to become quite a popular figure. His popularity spouted from his ability to motivate the military and to improve performance by leaning more into data analysis, a move that put him at odds with army commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. It was seemingly this rift between the pair that led to Fedorov's dismissal from Zelensky's government.
While the conflict continues in the region, Fedorov is now looking to challenge Zelensky's presidency of Ukraine, as he has now called for wartime trials to determine the leader of the country. The catch is Ukraine has been under martial law ever since the war broke out, meaning former traditional elections have been suspended since 2022.
In a video shared by Fedorov on social media, as per BBC News, the politician explained "democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia" and that the right to determine a leader in charge of the country is part of the reason "we want to remain a free European state".
It's unclear if any election will happen, with Zelensky yet to respond to the video.
