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Has serious questions: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Office / dpa
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the heads of the secret service and the general prosecutor's office.
More than 60 employees from these authorities remained in the Russian-occupied areas and collaborated with the enemy, Zelenskyy said in his video address.
The Presidential Office in Kyiv issued decrees dismissing the head of the secret service, Ivan Bakanov, and Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova.
Ukraine has been fighting the Russian war of aggression since February.
Selenskyj has made almost no personnel changes during this time.
He gave figures on the defectors: There are 651 criminal proceedings against employees of the public prosecutor's office and other law enforcement agencies for high treason and collaboration with Russian services.
In 198 cases, those affected were informed that they were under suspicion.
Senior SBU official arrested
This "series of crimes against the foundations of national security" raises serious questions for agency leaders, the president said.
He confirmed that a senior SBU official formerly in charge of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea had been arrested.
Bakanov is a close companion of Selenskyj from his days as a television comedian, he has headed the secret service since 2019. No successor has been named for him.
The General Prosecutor's Office is to be temporarily headed by Oleksiy Simonenko.
Zelenskyj announced that efforts are being made to recruit staff for the key posts.
atb/dpa/Reuters
