Sacked Ukrainian defence minister calls for presidential elections

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · Aug 19, 2026 · 868 words · By Sasha Vakulina

Internal Ukrainian Political Power Struggle Democratic Accountability vs. Wartime Necessity

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What to know about Internal Ukrainian Political Power Struggle

Fedorov's video address came just hours after Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally nominated Yevhen Khmara as defence minister, closing the door on Fedorov’s return to government.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Fedorov's video address came just hours after Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally nominated Yevhen Khmara as defence minister, closing the door on Fedorov’s return to government.

Why it matters

Ukraine's former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for wartime elections just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally nominated Yevhen Khmara as his permanent successor, effectively closing the door on Fedorov's return to government.

Common ground

In a video entitled "Address of Mykhailo Fedorov to the People of Ukraine," released a month after his dismissal sparked nationwide protests, Fedorov said Ukraine should find a way to restore elections despite the ongoing fight against Russia's full-scale…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Internal Ukrainian Political Power Struggle story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Ukraine has not held national elections since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022?
How does this story connect Internal Ukrainian Political Power Struggle with Democratic Accountability vs. Wartime Necessity over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/19/sacked-ukrainian-defence-minister-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

schedule Pending 3

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified 1

info Single Source 1

verified

Claim 1: “Ukraine has not held national elections since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022”

VERIFIED

While the provided evidence for claim 6 focuses on the start of the invasion, the evidence for claim 7 confirms that elections are prohibited under martial law, and the context of the other claims (Fedorov calling for the restoration of elections) corroborates that they have not been held.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Russia has Failed to Break Ukraine.The Minsk II deal aimed to end Russia’s limited invasion of Ukraine in 2015 but instead laid the groundwork for the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
https://understandingwar.org/?ref=nickrroberts.com

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web search NEUTRAL — Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched on 24 February 2022, has become the largest armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/World+News/Europe/Eastern+Europe…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Russia's full-scale invasion began with dozens of missile strikes on cities all over Ukraine before dawn on 24 February 2022. Russian ground troops moved in quickly and within a few weeks were in cont…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l0k4389g2o

info

Claim 2: “Khmara... previously commanded the SBU’s Alpha special operations centre”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions Yevhen Khmara has been serving in the Special Operations Center 'A' (Alpha) of the SBU since 2011, but this is not corroborated by a second independent source in the provided evidence.

verified

Claim 3: “Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally nominated Yevhen Khmara as defence minister”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states that Yevhenii Khmara was formally appointed as Minister of Defence on 19 August 2026 after serving in an acting capacity since 20 July 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Evgeniy Leonidovych Khmara (Ukrainian: Євгеній Леонідович Хмара) is a Ukrainian major general who has been the Minister of Defence of Ukraine since 20 July 2026 in an acting capacity, and was formally…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevhenii_Khmara

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events in the year 2026 in Ukraine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_Ukraine

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Голова Служби безпеки України, romanized: Holova Sluzhby bezpeky Ukrainy) serves as the director of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_the_Security_Service_o…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “Fedorov's dismissal sparked nationwide protests”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia contains a dedicated entry 'Protests against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov' and other sources mention rallies in Odesa and nationwide protests following his July 2026 dismissal.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mykhailo Vasyliovych Drapatyi (Ukrainian: Михайло Васильович Драпатий; born 21 November 1982) is a Ukrainian military officer who has served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine si…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mykhailo_Drapatyi

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mykhailo Albertovych Fedorov (born 21 January 1991) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the Minister of Defence of Ukraine from January to July 2026, when he was dismissed from office by President…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mykhailo_Fedorov

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Protests against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov, sometimes called the pro-Fedorov protests, began on 15 July 2026 after Mykhailo Fedorov, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, was dismissed from his …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_the_dismissal…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Fedorov's video address came just hours after Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally nominated Yevhen Khmara as defence minister”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results explicitly state that Fedorov's video address occurred just hours after Zelenskyy formally nominated Yevhen Khmara as defence minister.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events in the year 2026 in Ukraine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_Ukraine

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU; Ukrainian: Збройні сили України, romanised: Zbroini syly Ukrainy, pronounced [ˈzbrɔjn⁽ʲ⁾i ˈsɪlɪ ʊkrɐˈjinɪ]) are the military forces of Ukraine. They consist of the th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_of_Ukraine

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 6: “In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda at the end of July, he said he did not see himself as a politician”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “In an interview on 6 August, he said he had personally talked Khmara through a detailed “war plan.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “Ukraine's former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for wartime elections”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources report that former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for elections during the war following his dismissal.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ukraine Defense Contact Group (abbr. UDCG, also known as the Ramstein group) is an alliance of 57 countries (all 32 member states of NATO and 25 other countries) and the European Union supporting…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_Defense_Contact_Group

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The minister of defence of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Міністр оборони України, romanized: Ministr oborony Ukrainy) is the head of the Ministry of Defence, which is in charge of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ministers_of_defence_(…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “According to Ukraine's constitution, elections cannot be held under martial law”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources explicitly state that the Ukrainian constitution and legislation prohibit holding elections while martial law is in effect.

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web search NEUTRAL — Ukrainian legislation directly prohibits holding elections under martial law. Even if it did allow them, dozens of unsolvable practical and security issues would render it literally impossible to ensu…
https://war.ukraine.ua/articles/not-sacrificing-democracy-wh…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Ukrainian constitution prohibits holding elections during periods of martial law.Kox admitted that the Ukrainian constitution does not allow [...] elections while martial law is in effect, but sai…
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/zelenskyy-say-no-elections…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — It is prohibited to hold elections under martial law.No doubt, elections in Ukraine should take place – but only after the war is over and Ukraine has won, and security and other conditions are in pla…
https://epde.org/?news=statement-ukrainian-civil-society-is-…

schedule

Claim 10: “He became acting head of the SBU in January 2026 after Vasyl Maliuk stepped down”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 11: “He was involved in the 2022 operation to retake Snake Island”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Yevhen Khmara's specific involvement in the operation to retake Snake Island.

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Claim 12: “Yevhen Khmara, the acting defence minister and a former head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU)”

CORROBORATED

Web search results and Wikipedia confirm Khmara was appointed acting defence minister on July 16/20, 2026, and identify him as a former top SBU officer.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yevhen Kyrylovych Marchuk (Ukrainian: Євген Кирилович Марчук, Ukrainian pronunciation: [jeu̯ˈɦɛn kɪˈrɪlowɪt͡ʃ mɐrˈt͡ʃuk]; 28 January 1941 – 5 August 2021) was a Ukrainian politician, intelligence offi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevhen_Marchuk

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+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 13: “Zelenskyy offered him several senior government posts after his dismissal, including deputy prime minister roles, but Fedorov turned them down”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding specific offers of deputy prime minister roles to Fedorov after his dismissal.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.