Zelensky Appoints Vasil Maliuk as Acting Head of Ukraine's Intelligence Services

MADRID, 18 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, announced on Monday the appointment of Vasil Maliuk as the new head of the Intelligence services, one day after the dismissal of his predecessor, Ivan Bakanov, and the country's attorney general, Irina Venediktova, in the middle of accusations against employees of both agencies for alleged acts of treason.

According to a decree published on the website of the Ukrainian Presidency, Maliuk has been appointed "temporarily" as head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), without giving further details.

Zelensky announced on Sunday the dismissal of Bakanov and Venediktova, who was replaced by Oleksiy Simonenko. Bakalov, until now a member of the president's closest circle of friends and from whom the president, had distanced himself after the fall of the Kherson region into Russian hands during the first weeks of the war, according to sources from the US news portal Politico.

According to the decree published on the website of the Presidency of Ukraine, Bakalov was dismissed in accordance with Article 47 of the Disciplinary Statute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which refers to the "failure to perform (or improper performance of) duties of service with the consequent cost of human lives".

For her part, the attorney general was dismissed by virtue of the war powers assumed by Zelensky after the Russian invasion of the country, without giving further details. The decree specifically refers to article 11 of the martial law that is in force in Ukraine and that "gives the President the power to dismiss an official whose appointment is under his authority."

Later, Zelensky argued that around 60 personnel from the General Prosecutor's Office and the SBU "remained in the Russian-occupied territories and collaborated with the Russians." "Such a set of crimes against the foundations of the national security of the state and the connections that have been recorded between the employees of the Ukrainian security forces and the special services of Russia raise very serious questions about their respective leaders," he settled.