The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted on January 13 to dismiss Vasyl Maliuk from the position of Head of the Security Service of Ukraine. A total of 235 members of parliament supported the decision. The discussion regarding the resignation took place without Maliuk’s presence in the session hall. When asked by the lawmakers about the reasons for his absence, parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk replied that he was unaware of them.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Maliuk’s Statement and the President’s Position
On January 5, Vasyl Maliuk announced his decision to leave the position of head of the SBU but stated that he would continue to work within the agency. According to him, he will continue to carry out asymmetrical special operations of global scale aimed at inflicting maximum damage on the enemy.
“There should be more Ukrainian asymmetrical operations against the occupier and the Russian state, more of our strong results in destroying the enemy. Vasyl Vasilyovych is best at this and will continue to focus on it within the SBU system,” he wrote in a Telegram message.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that he had met with Vasyl Maliuk and thanked him for his effective work, suggesting that he focus specifically on conducting special operations. Zelensky also tasked Maliuk with making the direction of Ukrainian asymmetrical operations the strongest in the world.
Who Temporarily Heads the SBU and Next Steps
Maliuk had been the head of the Security Service of Ukraine since February 2023. Following his resignation, the duties of the head of the SBU have been temporarily assigned to the head of the Special Operations Center “A,” Yevhen Khmara. The relevant decree was published on the president’s website on January 5. Additionally, the media considers Khmara one of the potential candidates for the position of head of the SBU.
During a meeting with Yevhen Khmara, President Zelensky discussed the further development of the SBU and the preparation of new special operations. Furthermore, the president signed a decree that allows for the appointment of a temporary acting head of the SBU in the absence of the main leader during the period of martial law.
According to current legislation, the appointment and dismissal of the head of the Security Service of Ukraine is carried out by the Verkhovna Rada upon the president’s proposal.