KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday (Jan 5) ousted the country’s security service chief in the latest change to Kyiv’s top intelligence positions, almost four years into the Russian invasion.
Zelenskyy 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).
Zelenskyy said on social media he had met Maliuk and thanked him for his service, posting a photo of the two men shaking hands.
Maliuk said he was “stepping down” but would remain “within the SBU system to carry out world-class asymmetric special operations that will continue to inflict maximum damage on the enemy.”
Amid reports Maliuk was on the brink of being removed, several top military figures had rallied behind him with statements of support over the weekend.
Ukraine’s SBU has claimed numerous bold attacks on Russia since Moscow invaded in 2022.
They include the 2024 killing in Moscow of a head of the Russian army’s chemical weapons division and repeated attacks on the Crimean Bridge.
In June 2025, the SBU carried out one of the most ambitious attacks by either side in the entire war – dubbed Operation Spiderweb – when drones smuggled into Russia launched simultaneous attacks on Russian nuclear-capable bombers and airfields deep behind the front line.
The shake-up comes weeks after a corruption scandal forced Zelensky’s once most important ally, Andriy Yermak, to resign as the president’s chief of staff.
Last week, Zelenskyy named the popular Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov to head his presidential office and said he intended to replace the defence minister.
Zelenskyy on Monday issued a decree appointing Yevgeny Khmara, who headed an SBU division, as temporarily in charge of the security service amid a search for a permanent replacement.