Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, with impeccable timing, opened an investigation into unnamed lawmakers and presidential advisers just hours before a key vote in parliament. Because nothing says 'democratic stability' like dropping a corruption bombshell right before a crucial decision. The Nabu and Sapo agencies, in a move that screams 'we're totally not trying to influence anything,' released no further details. But the timing is impeccable: the parliament is about to vote on a new defence minister, Yevhen Khmara, who was appointed after Zelenskyy sacked his popular predecessor, Mykhailo Fedorov.
Speaking of Fedorov, he decided Tuesday night was the perfect moment to call for a wartime presidential election, delivering the most direct political challenge to Zelenskyy since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. In a nine-minute video address, Fedorov declared, 'Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia. We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state.' Because, you know, nothing says 'free European state' like holding elections while drones are falling on buses.
Speaking of drones, at least four people died overnight in Russian attacks, including a drone that hit a bus in the southern city of Kherson. Zelenskyy called it a 'vicious Russian safari against our people,' which is both horrifying and oddly poetic. Meanwhile, Ukraine sent hundreds of drones toward Russia, with Moscow claiming it downed 453 of them. Because the sky is apparently full of flying lawnmowers and everyone's playing a very dangerous game of tag.
But wait, there's more! Estonia is investigating whether Russia was involved in an arson attack on a building housing a defence contractor. The building used by Milrem Robotics, a maker of unmanned military weapons systems deployed in Ukraine and elsewhere, was targeted late on Friday. Prime Minister Kristen Michal said, 'The suspects have been identified. One of the lines of investigation is a possible act of sabotage and the involvement of Russia.' The Russian embassy in Tallinn, unsurprisingly, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Probably busy denying everything.
And in the 'we'll tell you everything but not really' department, the anti-corruption agencies revealed they uncovered a group, including a presidential official, that laundered 150 million hryvnias ($3.35m) to pay for bail in an energy corruption scheme. The group allegedly includes a deputy head of the presidential office, a former lawmaker, heads of the management and supervisory boards of a state-owned bank, and others. But they didn't name names, because Ukrainian law says you can't tarnish reputations without a trial. Because that's totally how politics works everywhere.
Meanwhile, Russian forces struck a cargo vessel in the Black Sea near Odesa, claiming it was carrying military cargo. Because hitting civilian ships is fine if you say they're military, right? And in Belgium, the largest wildfire in recent history seems to be nearing its end, because even nature is tired of 2026.
Political analyst Artem Bronzhukov questioned whether holding elections during a war is practical, noting, 'Today there is no clear understanding of how to ensure people’s safety in the context of a full-scale war.' He added that there's a 'fairly deep-rooted view within Ukrainian society' that elections are necessary but only after the war ends. The country remains, he says, 'a warring democracy - confirmed precisely by the protests taking place after Fedorov’s resignation.'
Polling at the turn of the month shows Fedorov would come third in the first round with 13.1%, behind Zelenskyy on 22.3% and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former head of the armed forces and now ambassador to the UK, on 21.4%. The same polling predicts Zelenskyy would lose the run-off to both Fedorov and Zaluzhnyi. But holding elections would be complicated by millions exiled or displaced, over 1 million serving in the armed forces, and about a fifth of the country under Russian occupation. Details, details.