Zelenskyy forces out spy chief who led daring raids

The spy chief who led Ukraine’s most audacious behind-the-lines operations in its war with Russia has been forced to resign by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

- Daniel Boffey

Vasyl Malyuk, who was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine last year, reportedly fought to stay in post as head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) but relented yesterday at a meeting with the president.

Announcing his resignation on the SBU’s Telegram channel, Malyuk said he would remain in the agency to lead “world-class asymmetric special operations” against Russia.

He wrote: “I am leaving my post as head of the security service. I will stay in the system to carry out operations that continue to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. A strong, modern intelligence service is key to our state’s security.”

Zelenskyy said that Malyuk, who was responsible for last year’s daring destruction of Russia’s strategic bombers, known as Operation Spiderweb, would be reassigned to overseeing unconventional warfare.