Zelensky rejects rival’s call for vote, says it would ‘split’ Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected calls for an election during wartime, citing the risk it would "split Ukraine". The call for an election came from his former defence chief, Mykhailo Fedorov, who has been involved in mass protests.

Zelensky described the prospect of an election as a "huge risk" amid the ongoing conflict. According to the Kyiv Independent, Ukraine is facing recruitment challenges and is considering "radical mobilization changes".

Zelensky also discussed Ukraine's military efforts, including a new operation targeting Russian ballistic missile launchers near its borders. He revealed that Ukrainian forces have struck an Iskander ballistic missile launcher and are hunting down Russian missile systems positioned near Ukraine.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Qatar Tribune, Kyiv Independent, South China Morning Post — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.