TE24 International Desk:
KIEV, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday fired two high-ranking officials accused of being government “collaborators” as Russia launched a relentless shelling across the country, including 28 others. Officials were dismissed and the reorganization of the security forces expanded. And a traitor.
In his nightly video address, Zelensky said a “personnel review” of the Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) was underway and a decision would be made to dismiss 28 officers. “Different levels, different focal points. But the reasons are the same—the result of inadequate work,” Zelenskyy said. said
On Sunday, he fired SBU chief Ivan Bakanov and Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova. Zelensky cited hundreds of criminal cases of insurrection and cooperation by people in his department and other law enforcement agencies.
“Six months after the war, we continue to express the burden of these people in each of these institutions,” said Andriy Smirnov, deputy director of the Office of the President of Ukraine. Analysts said the move was designed to strengthen Zelensky’s control over military and security agencies run by people appointed before the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
“In a war situation, Zelensky needs such national leaders to be able to cope with several tasks at once, creating a fifth column and international competence, resisting the country’s Russian intrigue. Their main task was effectively to communicate and coordinate at home.
” Volodymyr Zelenko, a political analyst at the Penta Center think tank, told The Associated Press. Bakanov is a childhood friend and former business partner of Zelensky who appointed him head of the SGE. Bakanov has been criticized for security breaches since the start of the war.
Venediktova against Russian military commanders and officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, for her efforts to gather evidence of war crimes for the destruction of Ukrainian cities and the killing of civilians. Received international acclaim. Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department, told reporters in Washington that the two governments were in close contact when asked about the transfer.
“The truth is that in all of our relationships, and in this relationship, we don’t invest in personalities. We are institutional investors, and certainly President Zelensky talked about the reasons for these personnel changes. I did,” Price said.
