“I am leaving my position, but not the SBU”: Vasyl Malyuk resigns as head of the Security Service
13 January 18:40
Vasyl Malyuk is stepping down as head of the Security Service of Ukraine, but will remain working within the SBU system. He announced this in a column on Channel 24, summarizing his work, according to Komersant.
The Verkhovna Rada has already supported his resignation, with 235 MPs voting in favor. The duties of the head of the SBU will be temporarily assumed by the head of the Alpha special forces unit, Major General Yevhen Khmara.
“I am leaving my position, but not the fight.”
In his post, Malyuk emphasized that his decision to leave his post does not mean he is leaving the Service.
“I am leaving my position, but not the SBU. I am remaining in the Service and will continue to work for the good of the people and the state,” he wrote.
According to him, the main goal remains a strong and independent Ukraine and the achievement of “just peace.”
War and special operations
Malyuk devoted a separate part of his column to the role of the SBU in the full-scale war. He stressed that the Service’s special operations became “a trump card for Ukraine” in talks with partners and, at the same time, painful blows for Russia.
Among the key episodes, he mentioned the strikes by long-range drones on oil refineries and ammunition depots in the Russian rear, in particular in Toropets, where the detonations “shook the earth.” Malyuk also recalled the participation of SBU fighters in battles in the east, south, and north, in the Black Sea, the liberation of Zmiinyi Island, and participation in the Kursk operation.
Tanks, Oreshnik, and the Crimean Bridge
According to the former head of the SBU, the service contributed to the destruction of the myth of the “invincibility of the second army in the world.” He claims that SBU servicemen destroyed more than 2,200 Russian tanks, which is almost every fifth tank hit by all the Defense Forces.
Malyuk also mentioned the destruction of Oreshnik in 2023 and called Pavutina the most high-profile special operation — a strike against the Russian Federation’s strategic aviation. He separately highlighted three attacks on the Crimean Bridge and the use of Sea Baby marine drones, which, according to him, became “a nightmare for the Russian fleet.”
Counterintelligence and the fight against agents
Malyuk named counterintelligence as another priority. During the full-scale war, he claims, the SBU exposed 128 agent networks and about 3,000 traitors.
“When the enemy is at your gates, you have to be vigilant so that traitors don’t open the gate for them,” he wrote, calling the fight against Russian agents his “personal cause.”
Who will head the SBU next
Major General Yevhen Khmara has been appointed acting head of the SBU. Malyuk described him as “a man of the new generation” capable of continuing and strengthening the work of the service, and wished him endurance in his future work.
