President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suspended the head of the Ukrainian Intelligence Agency (SBU) and the prosecutor general, citing numerous counts of treason in the two influential organizations.
He said more than 60 former associates are now working against Ukraine in Russian-held territories.
A total of 651 collaboration and treason cases have been opened against law enforcement officials, he added.
Officials Ivan Bakanov and Iryna Venediktova did not comment.
In a video address on Sunday evening, Mr. Zelensky said: “Such a series of crimes against the fundamental principles of the state’s national security… grave questions to the relevant leaders [of the two organizations]. ”
“Each of these questions will have a good answer,” added the Ukrainian president.
In a subsequent appearance on Ukrainian TV, Andriy Smirnov, one of Zelensky’s top advisers, made it clear that the officials were not fired, as initially suggested, but simply removed pending an investigation.
“In order to avoid the possible influence of these two officials on the criminal case under investigation in relation to employees of the SBU suspected of cooperating with the attacking country, and the same applies to the prosecutor’s office, the president made the decisions appropriate “, said Mr. Smirnov.
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The removal of SBU head Ivan Bakanov, Zelensky’s childhood friend, follows the high-profile arrest of a former regional head of the SBU in Crimea, annexed to Russia in 2014. Oleh Kulinych is suspected of treason. “Anyone who was part of a criminal group with him who worked in the interest of the Russian Federation will be held accountable,” Zelensky said. “It involves the transfer of confidential information to the enemy and other facts of cooperation with the Russian special services”.
Senior intelligence officials in Kherson were also indicted and Mr. Zelensky suggested that further action would be taken against other SBU officers.
For a long time, it was believed that Ukraine had a problem with the Russian infiltration of its security services, and in his speech, Zelensky tried to map the impact of repeated security breaches.
