Maliuk agreed to step down after pressure from Bankova. He may be replaced by head of "Alfa," Khmara, - media
The head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk, has expressed his willingness to leave his post.
This was reported by "Ukrainska Pravda," citing its own sources, according to Censor.NET.
Maliuk initially refused
According to the publication, at a meeting with the president on Saturday, after a wave of public support from well-known public figures and military personnel, the head of the SSU refused to write a letter of resignation and transfer to the Foreign Intelligence Service or the National Security and Defence Council.
As far as is known, MalIuk justified his position by saying that he had several operations on the scale of "Pavutyna" in their final stages, and it would be a crime to abandon them now.
However, he said that if the president had such a request, he should refer the matter to the Rada and let parliament decide.
Zelenskyy's indignation
Zelenskyy was outraged by General Maliuk's refusal to write a letter of resignation. Communications advisers separately encouraged the president, saying that the campaign to support the general "was organised by the SSU itself". Therefore, Zelenskyy, on edge, threatened that he could remove Maliuk from office if he did not write the letter voluntarily. The parliament did indeed grant the president such powers at the beginning of the invasion with regard to officials appointed by the head of state.
"Many MPs fear the public effect of applying such a procedure to Maliuk, whom the majority of society perceives primarily as the creator of naval drones, the mastermind behind the Crimea Bridge explosion, or the Spiderweb operation," UP writes.
Reasons for dismissal
Firstly, Zelenskyy sees Maliuk as one of the faces of Yermak's attack on NABU/SAPO, from which the OP is now trying to distance itself as much as possible. Secondly, Maliuk is being blamed for the fact that the Service is openly engaged in "commerce" behind the scenes, "stripping businesses whenever and however it pleases."
Maliuk's team, on the other hand, believes that the resignation is nothing more than revenge by Yermak, who is still in the president's orbit, for Maliuk's position as head of the SSU during the"Mindichgate" scandal and searches of the former head of the OP.
At his briefing on Saturday, Zelenskyy, although without mentioning the SSU chief by name, stated very irritably that he would still carry out all the replacements he had planned. According to UP, the OP even began to look for grounds on which it would be possible to formally issue a decree on Maliuk's dismissal.
On Sunday, the head of the Service was pressured not only to resign, but also to express gratitude for this.
Despite the frenzied support of the military, partners, and deputies, and despite the extremely low prospect of dismissal by the Rada, Maliuk, according to UP, nevertheless decided that escalating the conflict with the president would harm the state. And he agreed to resign. When and how the dismissal, which requires a vote by the Rada, will take place will be decided in the near future.
Who will replace Maliuk?
Instead of Maliuk, the head of "Alfa," Major General Yevhen Khmara, may be appointed to perform the duties of the head of the SSU. However, Zelenskyy has not yet abandoned the idea of handing over the Service to General Oleksandr Poklad, in whom Yermak had (has?) high hopes.
"Although, the new head of the President's Office, is unlikely to agree to such a candidate, as he has almost a blood feud with him," the publication concludes.
What preceded this?
- MP Honcharenko announced today that Maliuk had written a letter of resignation from his post as head of the SSU.
- Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to dismiss SSU head Vasyl Maliuk and appoint him to other positions.
- Censor.NET sources in government circles said that there are currently attempts to remove Maliuk from his position as head of the SSU, but this issue has not yet been resolved.
- The military, MPs and activists have spoken out in support of Maliuk.
