Ukraine’s former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said President Volodymyr Zelensky should be asked what he knew about potential corruption among people close to him, following the announcement of a money-laundering investigation involving lawmakers and bankers.
Fedorov, who was dismissed from the defence ministry last month after reportedly falling out with the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, told the BBC that the president had a responsibility to explain whether he had been aware of the matters under investigation. He said he did not want to make assumptions and had no evidence that Zelensky was personally corrupt.
The former minister said that, during his time working with Zelensky, he had never received an instruction from the president that conflicted with the law or his own integrity. Fedorov also said he had sought to remove corrupt elements from defence procurement, while warning that corruption continued to affect Ukraine’s frontline capabilities.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau said it had uncovered an alleged scheme to misappropriate more than $3 million in Ukrainian currency intended for bail payments for a former energy minister accused of money laundering. A senior official in Zelensky’s office who was alleged to be involved was dismissed, according to the report.
A presidential spokesperson said it was unusual for Fedorov to speak as though the current administration were separate from those in which he had served since 2019, adding that he had not made strong public statements about such issues previously.
Call for wartime elections
Fedorov also renewed his call for elections to be held despite Ukraine’s wartime conditions. The country has been under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and elections have been suspended. Zelensky’s five-year presidential term ended in May 2024.
Fedorov said democratic debate should not become „the hostage of Putin” and argued that Ukraine should not be afraid to discuss restoring elections. He said that if elections were never held, Ukraine would no longer be a democracy, while stopping short of announcing plans to run for president.
Zelensky said in remarks released on Sunday that an election during the war would be too dangerous and could divide the country. Experts have also pointed to practical obstacles, including voting access for soldiers, refugees and people in Russian-occupied areas, as well as the risk of Russian disinformation.
Fedorov said he planned to continue promoting military technology and intended to visit the United States in coming weeks, where he hoped to meet Elon Musk. He also criticised delays in the delivery of foreign military assistance, urging direct investment in Ukrainian drone production.
Source: BBC News
