Personnel reshuffle in the security bloc: Parliament dismisses Malyuk, Fedorov, and Shmygal
13 January 14:57
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has approved the resignation of Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine. The resolution was passed by 235 MPs, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The decision was part of a broader package of personnel changes in the state leadership, which covered several key positions in the security sector and the executive branch.
How the decision on Malyuk was made
President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted the motion to dismiss Vasyl Malyuk to parliament. On January 12, the Verkhovna Rada’s defense committee did not support the decision, but the next day, the Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence approved the draft resolution. As a result, parliament provided the necessary number of votes.
Malyuk himself had previously publicly announced that he was leaving his post as head of the SBU.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Yevhen Khmara as acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine.
Malyuk’s career in the SBU and the Ministry of Internal Affairs
In 2020–2021, Vasyl Malyuk held senior positions in the SBU’s Main Directorate for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime.
In February 2022, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, and at the beginning of the full-scale war, he became First Deputy Head of the SBU.
From July 2022, Malyuk served as acting head of the Security Service, and in February 2023, he was officially appointed to this position.
In March 2022, he was awarded the rank of brigadier general.
A series of high-profile resignations
Malyuk’s dismissal took place against the backdrop of large-scale personnel decisions in the Verkhovna Rada.
On the same day, parliament:
- supported the resignation of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov (270 votes);
- voted to dismiss Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal (265 votes).
Fedorov had headed the digital direction in the government since 2019 and was considered one of the closest members of the Cabinet to the president.
Shmyhal, in turn, is the longest-serving prime minister in Ukrainian history, who moved to the post of defense minister in July 2025.
New appointments and political context
President Zelensky has already proposed a new government configuration: Denys Shmyhal as first deputy prime minister and energy minister, and Mykhailo Fedorov as head of the Ministry of Defense.
