close

Zelensky ousts Ukraine top intel chief amid security shake-up

By AFP
January 06, 2026
Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a meeting of the National Security and Defence Council, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, after Russia held what it called referendums – votes that were denounced by Kyiv and Western governments as illegal and coercive – in Kyiv, Ukraine September 30, 2022. — Reuters
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a meeting of the National Security and Defence Council, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, after Russia held what it called referendums – votes that were denounced by Kyiv and Western governments as illegal and coercive – in Kyiv, Ukraine September 30, 2022. — Reuters

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday ousted the country´s security service chief in the latest change to Kyiv´s top intelligence positions, almost four years into the Russian invasion.

Zelensky and Vasyl Maliuk, a popular military leader who won praise for overseeing ambitious operations against Russian forces, said that Maliuk was stepping down as head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Zelensky said on social media he had met Maliuk and thanked him for his service, posting a photo of the two men shaking hands.