Kozyatynsky spoke out against holding elections during the war: “Street protests are definitely not the place for electoral discourse”
19 August 20:42
Dmytro Kozyatynskyi, the coordinator of the protests featuring cardboard signs reading “For Fedorov,” stated that he does not support holding elections in Ukraine during the war. His position came in response to a statement by former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov regarding the necessity of holding elections even during wartime. Kozyatinsky shared this on Facebook, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Kozyatinsky thanked the protesters and said he considers their actions to have been effective. According to him, one of the results of the protests was the dismissal of Oleksandr Syrskyi from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the appointment of Mykhailo Drapaty to that position.
“I believe that it was all worth it: at the very least, we achieved Syrsky’s dismissal and Drapato’s appointment, which few could have expected just a month ago,” he wrote.
At the same time, Kozyatynsky emphasized that the main goal of the protests was not to target specific politicians or officials, but to demand dialogue between the government and society and the implementation of reforms.
“As I have said many times, for me these protests were precisely about dialogue and reforms, not about specific individuals. So I’d like to wish Mr. Khmara success in his new position, and I sincerely hope that he will continue the course of reforms and the fight against corruption in the defense sector,” the protest coordinator noted.
Kozyatynsky did not support the idea of holding elections during the war
Separately, Koziatynsky spoke out against holding elections during a full-scale war. He explained his position by citing practical and security risks.
“I am opposed to holding elections during a war—I cannot imagine how it would be technically possible to enable thousands of soldiers currently on the front lines to vote and run for office. I am also very concerned about the division within society during the electoral process and how this could affect the course of the war. In any case, street protests are definitely not the place for electoral discourse,” Kozyatynsky stated.
What led up to this
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recorded a video message in which he called for holding elections during the war, arguing that Ukraine cannot allow Russia to determine when Ukrainians will again have the opportunity to elect their government.
He stressed that even in the context of a protracted war, it is necessary to find a “legitimate, safe, and realistic mechanism” for holding elections, in particular by ensuring that military personnel, citizens abroad, and residents of frontline territories are able to vote.
