Zelensky has ‘questions to answer’ on corruption in his government, sacked minister tells BBC
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Figure caption
Fedorov asked about Ukraine government corruption claims
By
Dan Johnson
Ukraine correspondent
Reporting from
Kyiv
Published
23 August 2026, 09:02 BST
Updated 3 minutes ago
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.
Sacked Ukrainian defence minister calls for presidential election
Published
Three days ago
Supporters have protested on Kyiv’s streets weekly
since he was sacked, calling on the president to reinstate him.
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.
The protests ended on Wednesday, after Fedorov’s replacement was confirmed, hours after he posted a video on YouTube calling for political reform.
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".
In 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.
On Sunday, Zelensky said he believed wartime elections would currently be too dangerous for Ukraine.
"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."
Fedorov’s video highlighting political corruption last week came on the same day 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.
Fedorov said the case raised questions about the president’s awareness of potential corruption in his inner circle.
"Let him answer this question… I believe he needs to answer it."
