Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has “questions to answer” about corruption in his government, his sacked defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has told the BBC.
Fedorov, a popular minister who modernised the armed forces and pioneered drone warfare, was fired last month after reportedly falling out with the head of Ukraine’s armed forces.
He told the BBC a money laundering investigation announced last week raised questions about Zelensky’s awareness of potential corruption in his inner circle.
Fedorov also reiterated that “democracy should not be the hostage of Putin” – but stopped short of declaring his own political ambitions days after he posted a video calling for elections in Ukraine.
There were angry protests over his sacking but his support dwindled and demonstrations ended on Wednesday, after Fedorov’s replacement was confirmed. His call for a wartime vote has been largely rejected.
Asked whether he missed his old job, the 35-year-old replied “No”, citing the relentless stress of managing Ukraine’s war with Russia while transforming its defence ministry.
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, meaning elections are suspended.
But Fedorov said it was his “moral right” to start the conversation about elections.
“We should not be afraid of discussing it. That’s what democracy is all about. If I cannot share my ideas and be open about them with my own society, then what are we fighting for?”
If elections were never held, he said, “then we are no longer a democracy”.
Moose Campbell/BBCIn his earlier video statement Fedorov had argued that “people cannot endlessly live in a state where they do not understand why certain decisions are made”.
He shied away from criticising the president directly and declined to answer whether he backs Zelensky to win any election.
Zelensky said he believed wartime elections would currently be too dangerous for Ukraine in remarks released on Sunday.
“I believe that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk,” he said. “Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine.”
Experts have cited a number of obstacles to holding such a vote, including how soldiers, millions of Ukrainian refugees and people from occupied territories would vote, as well as disinformation threats from Russia.
Fedorov’s video highlighting political corruption last week came the day before a money laundering investigation was announced into lawmakers and bankers.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau said it had uncovered a scheme to misappropriate more than $3m (£2.2m) in Ukrainian currency to pay bail for a former energy minister accused of money laundering.
A senior official in Zelensky’s office, alleged to be involved, was sacked.
ReutersFedorov said the case raised questions about the president’s awareness of potential corruption in his inner circle.
“Let him answer this question… I believe that he’s ready for such questions. It’s his responsibility to tell us all whether he was aware of all that or not… I don’t want to make any assumptions.”
A spokesperson for the president had earlier told BBC News: “Since the former minister was part of every government since 2019, it’s strange that he phrases it as though these were somehow different governments without him. As everyone remembers, we didn’t hear any strong statements from him back then.”
Fedorov claimed he had rooted out elements of corruption from defence procurement but warned it was still affecting Ukraine’s frontline capacity.
The former minister said he’d had no contact with the president for “a couple of weeks”, and had no evidence the president was personally corrupt.
“In all the time that I worked with him, not a single time have I received from him any task or assignment that would go against law or my sense of integrity. So that’s my personal experience with him.”
As defence minister and previously digital transformation minister, Fedorov is credited with innovating to replace soldiers with an “army of drones”, saving lives on the battlefield and enabling long-range Ukrainian strikes on Russian military targets, oil refineries and distribution warehouses – thousands of kilometres over the border.
He said he would continue to promote new ways to fight the war and confirmed a visit to the United States in the coming weeks, where he hopes to meet Elon Musk.
The billionaire businessman’s Starlink satellite communications system has been key in Ukraine’s success. Fedorov aims to convince Musk to extend the technology into Russian airspace to assist Ukrainian strikes, without the Kremlin benefiting from access.
“The best tech companies in the world are supporting us and they will be investing in our victory, in ending this war. And we need to stay in touch with them regardless of my position. I have a previous successful track record of working with them and I need to stay in touch with them for my country,” he said.
ReutersFedorov criticised bureaucracy in the UK and other countries supporting Ukraine for delays in supplying weapons.
The UK is a longstanding supporter of Ukraine, spending £16bn supplying weapons since the war began. It was confirmed last week that British-made drones have been used to attack Russian targets.
Fedorov said he was grateful for British support but blamed “bureaucracy and red tape” for delays in receiving promised equipment.
“Governments are lagging behind the realities on the ground. It’s not only the issue for UK, but for other countries as well that announce some assistance and we are not getting it until the end of the year.”
Fedorov urged direct funding of the latest Ukrainian drone production, in place of outdated skills and equipment from other nations: “We don’t need repairs of tanks when we no longer use tanks.”
He said timely deliveries would help save not just Ukrainian lives.
“Unfortunately, our losses, our blood, our military experience is beneficial to all of you guys. You can get this experience for all the assistance that you give us.”
Fedorov denied having immediate political ambitions but didn’t rule out a future run for president.
“It will all depend on how soon we’ll be able to relaunch this democratic election process, […] how much energy I would have, whether I will preserve my team, whether I will be able to respond to the question myself, whether I can handle this position of the president or not.
“What’s more important, is whether people will tell me, yeah, we can trust you handling that position.”
Correction 23 August: This article originally said Mykhailo Fedorov’s video highlighting political corruption was released the same day a money laundering investigation was announced into lawmakers and bankers. It has been corrected to reflect that the video was released the day before the announcement.
