UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelensky has “questions to answer” about corruption in his government, his sacked defence minister told the BBC in an interview published today.

Mykhailo Fedorov was dismissed last month after reportedly falling out with the head of the country’s armed forces.

Mr Fedorov said a money-laundering probe announced last week raised questions about what President Zelensky knew about potential corruption in his inner circle.

Mr Fedorov stopped short of declaring whether the criticisms were a prelude to launching a bid for the  presidency.

Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s invasion in 2022, meaning elections are suspended.

But Mr Fedorov said it was his “moral right” to begin the conversation about whether elections should be held.

He said: “We should not be afraid of discussing it. That’s what democracy is all about. If I cannot share my ideas and be open about them with my own society, then what are we fighting for?”

If elections were never held, he said “then we are no longer a democracy.”

Mr Fedorov shied away from criticising the president directly and declined to answer whether he backs Mr Zelensky to win any election.

On Sunday, President Zelensky said: “Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine.”

Last week Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau said it had uncovered a scheme to misappropriate more than $3m (£2.2m) in Ukrainian currency to pay bail for a former energy minister accused of money laundering.

Mr Fedorov said President Zelensky must “tell us all whether he was aware of all that or not.”

A spokesperson for the president had earlier told BBC News: “Since the former minister was part of every government since 2019, it’s strange that he phrases it as though these were somehow different governments without him. 

“We didn’t hear any strong statements from him back then.”