Ukrainian lawmakers appointed a new defense minister today, hours after his ousted predecessor dealt a major blow to President Volodymyr Zelensky by calling for elections under wartime conditions.
Yevheni Khmara, a former senior special forces operative, is taking over the key defense portfolio at a time of renewed political turmoil for the president, who has faced weeks of protests over the ouster of 35-year-old reformist Mikhail Fedorov.
Hmara's appointment came just hours after anti-corruption authorities announced they had indicted Zelensky's deputy chief of staff as part of an investigation into an alleged $3 million money laundering scheme.
Fedorov's dismissal as defense minister in July brought thousands of protesters to the streets over a sudden personnel change that was seen as poorly explained to the public, a rare instance of protest during the war.
His bold call for elections in the fifth year of the war has sparked accusations of populism in a country where most citizens remain opposed to voting during the war, although many believe Ukraine needs new faces in power.
“He decided to take a populist path, highlighting the risks and challenges that the elections pose for the democratic process,” said Lesya Bidochko, a public policy fellow at the European Policy Institute in Kyiv.
In a statement released late Tuesday, Fedorov said the country was facing a governance crisis and that Ukraine's democratic process "cannot be held hostage by Russia."
Holding elections during wartime is prohibited by law. An August 5 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 57 percent of Ukrainians believe elections should be held only after the war ends, given that hundreds of thousands of soldiers are at the front, while Russian missiles and drones are pounding Ukrainian cities, towns, and villages.
“We need to find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even in conditions of a protracted war,” Fedorov said.
He has not said whether he will run in the eventual election, but a recent poll showed that Fedorov, known for his good knowledge of technology and a long-time ally of Zelensky, would convincingly defeat his former boss in a second round of voting.
Bidochko said there is still no realistic procedure for organizing elections, given that millions of Ukrainians are living as refugees abroad, displaced within the country, or serving in the military.
“Right now it seems like an elegant way to occupy the opposition’s space without taking responsibility for how the elections would actually be organized,” she said of Fedorov.
Opinions on the streets and the internet are divided today.
"On the one hand, holding elections now is not the best idea. On the other, it is a serious ultimatum to the president that could lead him to reconsider his personnel decisions," said Ivan Hnatenko, one of the protesters who gathered outside parliament ahead of the vote on Khmara.
A Threads user named "tovita" said she was deeply disappointed by Fedorov's move. She had participated in protests demanding his return to office, but said it would be disastrous "if this was electioneering."
Khmara, who briefly served as acting head of Ukraine's SBU security service, was not Zelensky's first choice for defense minister, but was appointed as a temporary solution only after the protests broke out.
Best known as the main organizer of Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia, Khmara takes office at a time when Kiev is trying to defend itself against increasingly frequent Russian ballistic missile attacks and the slow but persistent advance of Russian forces on the front.
His two predecessors led the ministry for only about half a year each, which fueled accusations that there was a lack of continuity in the country's most important department.
"Yevheniy Khmara is the president's drone: photogenic, heroic, obedient and without its own control system," said Marijana Bezuhla, an MP from the presidential faction known for her outspoken views.
Protesters and opposition lawmakers pointed to Khmara's good reputation, but sharply criticized Zelensky for what they believe was a poorly reasoned decision to dismiss Fedorov.
Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities said in a video posted on YouTube that they had uncovered a group, including the deputy chief of staff of the president, involved in a scheme aimed at securing bail money in an already existing corruption case in the energy sector.
The statement follows a major investigation announced last November into an alleged $100 million bribery scheme at the state atomic energy agency, involving Zelensky's then-chief of staff, which sparked widespread public discontent.
The anti-corruption agencies did not name the official, but Zelensky fired his adviser Irina Mudra shortly after the investigation was announced. She has not yet spoken publicly about the case.
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