A rival’s bombshell and a new corruption probe heap untimely pressure on Ukraine’s Zelenskyy

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Ousted Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s explosive call for wartime national elections meant he had “crossed the Rubicon in his relationship with” his former boss, one Kyiv-based analyst said.

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Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov in Kyiv in May.Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP via Getty Images

Aug. 19, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT

By Yuliya Talmazan and Anastasiia Parafeniuk

From loyal staffer to bombshell-dropping rival: Ukraine’s ousted defense minister has made his move, with a call for wartime elections that put him in direct confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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