Ukraine’s president dismissed the prosecutor general and the head of the security service, accusing many officials within both departments of treason and collaborating with Russia.
Zelensky said the removal of Venediktova and Bakanov was due to their involvement in crimes against the national security of Ukraine. He also said that everyone who was involved in the crimes would be held accountable.
“In particular, more than 60 employees of the prosecutor‘s office and the Security Service of Ukraine remained in the occupied territory and are working against our state.”
The former head of the Main Directorate of the Security Service in Crimea has also been detained on suspicion of treason, he said.
Zelensky indicated there would be further action, and that the Prime Minister would intensify the search for a new head of the National Anticorruption Bureau.
“The specific actions and any inaction of each official in the security sector and in law enforcement agencies will be evaluated. The corresponding inspection of law enforcement agencies has already yielded the first results and will be continued.”
**This is a developing story more details will be added as they become available.
For more on this story, please consider these sources:
- Zelensky fires top officials over staffers’ ‘collaboration’ with Russia CNN
- Zelenskiy fires Ukraine’s spy chief and state prosecutor, citing collaboration with Russia Guardian News
- Ivan Bakanov and Iryna Venediktova removed from top Ukraine jobs The Washington Post
- Live updates: ‘Doomsday’ threat from Russia dismissed by Ukraine USA TODAY
- Ukraine’s Zelensky fires top security chief and prosecutor The Times of Israel
