{
  "id": 3078972,
  "title": "The Economist: unpublished poll puts Zelensky first and fired defense minister Fedorov third in hypothetical Ukrainian presidential race",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/the-economist-unpublished-poll-puts-zelensky-first-and-fired-defense",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T18:10:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/08/24/the-economist-unpublished-poll-puts-zelensky-first-and-fired-defense-minister-fedorov-third-in-hypothetical-ukrainian-presidential-race"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Economist released an unpublished poll indicating that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would lead a hypothetical presidential election in Ukraine with 21% support, followed by former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.\"",
  "summary": "Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov placed third with 16% support in an unpublished poll on a hypothetical presidential election in Ukraine, according to The Economist, which has seen the results.",
  "key_points": [
    "Zelensky leads hypothetical Ukrainian presidential race with 21%",
    "Fedorov third with 16% support in poll",
    "Protests demand Fedorov's reinstatement in Ukraine"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}