Urgent.News

What's breaking now, across thousands of outlets.

Monday, 24 August 2026 Reading Room

World

The Economist: unpublished poll puts Zelensky first and fired defense minister Fedorov third in hypothetical Ukrainian presidential race

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov placed third with 16% support in an unpublished poll on a hypothetical presidential election in Ukraine, according to The Economist, which has seen the results.

meduza.io ·

The Economist: unpublished poll puts Zelensky first and fired defense minister Fedorov third in hypothetical Ukrainian presidential race

The Economist released an unpublished poll indicating that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would lead a hypothetical presidential election in Ukraine with 21% support, followed by former commander in chief Kyrylo Budanov with 18%, and fired defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov with 16%. The poll was conducted prior to a video address by Fedorov advocating for elections in Ukraine.

Zelensky dismissed Fedorov in July due to a disagreement over Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Protests calling for Fedorov's reinstatement ensued across Ukraine. Fedorov addressed the situation in a video on August 18, urging the establishment of a "legal, safe, and realistic mechanism" to resume a democratic process amidst ongoing war. Zelensky's office deemed such a call "extremely strange" and a "complete lack of realism."

Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Read the original at meduza.io →

More in World

The U.S. has launched an operation to economically isolate Iran, saying "China is not exempt." The U.S. Treasury Department said on the 5th that it had imposed sanctions on a Chinese company and two Chinese nationals for doing business with Iran's shipping and oil sectors. The move is part of the Trump administration's efforts to cut off Iran's oil exports and limit the country's access to the global financial system. The Treasury Department said in a statement that the sanctions targeted a Chinese company, Zhuhai Zhenrong, and two Chinese individuals, who were involved in the sale and transport of Iranian petroleum products. The U.S. has been reimposing sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018. The Treasury Department said that the latest sanctions were aimed at disrupting Iran's "illicit" financial networks and preventing the country from using the global financial system to fund its "malignant" activities. The move is also seen as an effort to put pressure on China, Iran's largest trading partner, to reduce its economic ties with Tehran. The U.S. has been critical of China's continued trade with Iran, saying that it undermines the effectiveness of the sanctions. The Treasury Department said that it would continue to work with its international partners to disrupt Iran's financial networks and prevent the country from using the global financial system to fund its activities.

·hani.co.kr

More from Monday 24 August →