Author: Yuliia Dysa and Max Hunder
KYIV, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Russian President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced the head of his powerful security agency on Monday and advanced a reshuffle of senior officials as Russia’s war in Ukraine approaches four years with no end in sight despite diplomatic efforts.
The ouster of Vasyl Maliuk, who oversaw a series of assassinations and a raid codenamed “Spider Web” that destroyed Russian warplanes, has shaken the leadership of a vast security apparatus at the heart of Ukraine’s shadow war.
Zelensky appointed Major General Yevny Hemara as acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which Maliuk has been running since 2022. The agency described Hemala as an experienced commander who has served with the elite Alpha combat unit since 2011 and has led the unit since 2023.
Some commanders supported Maliuk
Zelensky said on
Zelensky last week appointed military spy chief Kyrilo Budanov as chief of staff to replace Andrei Yermak, who was ousted in November amid a corruption scandal but has denied wrongdoing.
New defense and energy ministers will also be appointed in a reshuffle that has been on hold during talks on a possible peace deal but with no sign of a breakthrough.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and holds about one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea, which it seized in 2014. Kyiv said the developments had caused Russia to suffer huge losses.
Zelensky also appointed First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislitsa as Budanov’s first deputy, bringing a member of Ukraine’s negotiating team into his government.
After reports circulated over the weekend that Maliuk was about to quit, some commanders immediately defended Maliuk.
Robert Brovdy, the head of the drone force, said replacing him could weaken one of the “important heavyweights in Ukraine’s contemporary fight against Russia.”
Solomiia Bobrovska, a lawmaker on the Defense, Security and Intelligence Committee, said she did not think it was necessary “today” to remove Maliuk.
“I think that under Maliuk’s leadership, the SBU has successfully done its job in the current political situation, striking a balance between political tasks, combat operations and economic issues,” she told Reuters.
She said Zelensky appointed Hemara as an interim deputy by decree, effectively bypassing parliament.
MALIUK Overhaul SBU
Maliuk is a career SBU official who carried out comprehensive reforms of the SBU after succeeding Ivan Bakanov. Bakanov was fired by Zelensky in July 2022 for failing to root out Russian spies.
In May 2025, Maliuk’s most sophisticated operation, “Spider Web,” used small drones hidden in cargo trucks to attack dozens of high-value Russian strategic bombers at air bases far from Ukraine’s usual strike capabilities.
An anonymous senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that Maliuk was asked to run the smaller foreign intelligence service instead of the SBU, but he declined.
Foreign spy agencies are left without a head after the previous chief was appointed to head the military intelligence agency. The head of the border force has also been replaced, another sign that a massive security and defense shakeup is underway.
Zelensky’s appointment of Mikhailo Fedorov as defense minister has not yet been approved by parliament. Zelensky said on Monday he wanted him to focus on technology and innovation to “counter Russia’s desire to keep this war endless.”
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa in Warsaw, Max Hunder and Tom Balmforth in London and Dan Peleshchuk in Kyiv; Editing by Gareth Jones, Toby Chopra and Timothy Heritage)
