Arabic version: فيدوروف يقول إن على زيلينسكي الإجابة عن أسئلة بشأن الفساد

According to BBC News, former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said President Volodymyr Zelensky has “questions to answer” over potential corruption in his government. Fedorov said a money-laundering investigation announced last week raised questions about whether the president knew of possible wrongdoing within his inner circle, while stressing that he did not want to make assumptions.

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 he had no evidence that Zelensky was personally corrupt and said he had never received an instruction from the president that went against the law or his sense of integrity.

Fedorov, who was fired last month after reportedly falling out with the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, has also called for a discussion on elections. Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with elections suspended. He said democracy should not be “the hostage of Putin” and argued that if elections were never held, Ukraine would no longer be a democracy.

Zelensky said wartime elections would be too dangerous, describing them as a risk that could split the country. Experts have cited obstacles including voting by soldiers, millions of refugees and people in occupied territories, as well as Russian disinformation threats. Fedorov declined to say whether he backs Zelensky in a future election and denied immediate political ambitions, though he did not rule out a future presidential run.

The former minister said he would continue promoting new ways to fight the war and confirmed plans to visit the United States in coming weeks, where he hopes to meet Elon Musk. He also criticised delays in weapons deliveries from Ukraine’s partners, including the UK, and urged direct funding for Ukrainian drone production.