President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that holding elections during the war would pose an unacceptable danger to Ukraine, rejecting a call from his former defence minister for a national vote.
“I believe that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk. Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said in remarks made public this morning.
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On Wednesday, ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov urged the government to organise wartime elections, arguing that Ukraine was facing a governance crisis. His intervention marked the most serious internal challenge to Mr Zelensky since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian law prohibits elections from being held during wartime.
“We must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to renew its full democratic process even in the conditions of a long war.”
The 35-year-old Mr Fedorov had been a longtime ally of Mr Zelensky before his unexpected dismissal from the Defence Ministry in July, only six months after taking the post and promising sweeping reforms.
Mr Zelensky also said Ukraine believed Russia was preparing to mobilise a further 300,000 troops for its war effort after parliamentary elections in September.
Speaking to reporters, he added that Russia could draft hundreds of thousands more people in 2027 as part of its central objective of capturing the remaining areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
Russia ramping up missile output, Zelensky says
The Ukrainian president said Russia was intensifying its offensive with an expanding air campaign against Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine’s defences were being strained by a serious shortage of US-designed Patriot interceptors.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine was due to receive 264 interceptors in 2026, a substantial decline from the 364 it received in 2025 and the 675 delivered in 2023.
He said Russia was seeking to build the capacity to manufacture as many as 1,300 ballistic missiles annually.
Ukraine has also stepped up drone attacks on Russian economic infrastructure over the summer, striking oil refineries and warehouses operated by online retailers. Kyiv says the targets are vital to Russia’s ability to sustain the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of opening “Pandora’s box” by attacking economic targets, warning that Russia would retaliate against Ukraine’s “most sensitive economic sectors”.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine was bracing for another harsh winter of Russian attacks on its energy grid. The threat has led Kyiv’s air force to request 360 missile interceptors for the coming season.
He said Ukraine had reached an agreement with France to receive at least one SAMP/T air-defence system this year, while Germany had agreed to supply about 600 PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors through 2028.
President Emmanuel Macron promised yesterday that France would deliver interceptor missiles to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s war effort is also facing a $27 billion (€23bn) defence funding shortfall this year, Mr Zelensky said, attributing the gap to higher-than-expected expenditure during the first half of the year.
He said at least $8bn (€6.85) would be required for “a normal start” to 2027, followed by roughly $20bn (€17bn) for military salaries, payments to the families of fallen soldiers and other costs.
Norway pledges more funding
Norway’s government has announced plans to provide Ukraine with a further 85bn Norwegian crowns (€7.7bn) in financial support during the 2027 fiscal year, matching the amount allocated in 2026.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and leaders from across the Nordic and Baltic region are visiting Kyiv today in a display of solidarity with Ukraine.
The funding will support both military and humanitarian needs, Mr Stoere said, according to the text of a speech released by the government in Oslo.
“Supporting and rebuilding Ukraine is not assistance alone. It is an investment in Europe’s own security,” he said.
