Cases of collaboration: Zelenskyj dismisses secret service chief

Numerous Ukrainian officials are said to be collaborating with Russia: President Zelenskyj has therefore fired the head of the domestic secret service. An Attorney General also had to vacate her post.

The breaking news came in Ukraine late on Sunday evening – and it was tough: Volodymyr Zelenskyj had two high-ranking officials vacate their posts by decree. The Ukrainian President later reported via video: “Today I made the decision to dismiss the Attorney General and the Head of the Secret Service of Ukraine from their offices.”

This is Iryna Venediktova and Ivan Bakanov. The decisions come as a surprise. In his regular message, Selenskyj justified the layoffs. According to him, the decisive factor was the high number of suspected cases within the authorities – suspected cases of cooperation between Ukrainian officials and Russia:

Security apparatus still in focus

Selenskyj spoke of the “self-purification of the authorities”. And announced that the inspection of the security apparatus would continue. Referring to his recent visits to the frontline regions, he indicated that he was personally concerned.

The President is known for his quick layoffs. He had already reassigned some important posts in the past with similar rigor. The reasons were sometimes obscure. This practice was considered controversial, and headlines followed. Selenskyj and his team were also criticized for the allocation of posts: decisions were not always made according to competencies.

Now Zelenskyy is a president who, after the historic decision on Ukraine’s EU accession status, is supposed to fight against corruption and nepotism. And he is a head of state of a country at war that wants to win it.

Approach in the south raises questions

The difficult situation in the south was a particular topic in Ukraine. Many wondered how Russia was able to occupy such large tracts of land in the southern regions so quickly. And it seemed – almost without resistance from the Ukrainian security services. Analysts wondered why, for example, some bridges were not blown – and Russian forces simply advanced. Especially in the Kherson region. Apparently the current layoffs are related to this.

Zelenskyi announced that another regional intelligence chief from the south had recently been arrested. There is now a suspicion of extensive collaboration with Russia. “Among other things, more than 60 employees of the public prosecutor’s office and the secret service stayed on the occupied territory and are working against our state,” said Zelenskyj. Such a stock of crimes against the foundations of national security, as well as the connections of security apparatus personnel to the Russian intelligence services, raise very serious questions to the relevant heads.

Prosecution after release?

So far little is known about the background. After the start of the war, Attorney General Venediktova gave the impression of being a resolute prosecutor. Again and again she spoke to the media, met with counterparts from different countries. However, the career path of the law professor, who is the daughter of renowned Ukrainian lawyers, was not free of scandals.

What is particularly exciting, however, is the dismissal of the head of the secret service, Bakanov. He is said to be a childhood friend of Zelenskyj, a close companion for many years. Bakanov headed Zelenskyy’s campaign team. Now the president is firing him – and even includes the corresponding paragraph in the decree: 47 – Failure to perform official duties, which led to victims or other serious consequences. According to preliminary estimates, even criminal prosecution may not be ruled out after release.