President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired Ukraine‘s top spy after a series of security failures amid Russia’s invasion of the country.
Security Service Chief Ivan Bakanov, a longtime friend of Zelensky, was dismissed for neglecting his duties, according to a Sunday decree reported by the Kyiv Independent. Zelensky also fired Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova.
“Today, I made a decision to remove the prosecutor general and remove the head of the Security Service of Ukraine,” Zelensky said, according to a Facebook post from his office translated by Google. The post said the accompanying video was his address at the end of the 144th day of the full-scale war, in which he also spoke about other actions he took that day.
Politico reported in late June that Zelensky was looking to replace Bakanov as the head of Ukraine’s domestic intelligence and security agency. That report cited allegations that Bakanov did not adequately respond to Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24 and criticism for the loss of the strategically important city of Kherson.
Adding to the headaches faced by the Security Service, the former head of its Crimea department, Ihor Kulinich, was recently arrested on treason charges, joining other former SBU officials charged with state treason.
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Bakanov has known Zelensky a long time, as he ran the former comedian’s entertainment company and presidential campaign before being appointed to the role as spy chief in 2019 in the face of critics who said he lacked the proper experience for such a role.
Venediktova, the first woman to hold the role of prosecutor general in Ukraine, was criticized by anti-corruption activists and the media for allegedly failing to prosecute major cases, according to the Kyiv Independent. Her deputy, Oleksiy Symonenko, will take on the role of acting prosecutor general. A replacement for Bakanov has not been announced.
