Politics

Zelensky appoints new heads of SBU counterintelligence departments

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Zelensky appoints new heads of SBU counterintelligence departments
A Ukrainian flag flies above the headquarters of the Ukrainian Finance Ministry in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 8, 2017. (Vincent Mundy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 25 appointed Serhii Hunkovskyi as head of the Counterintelligence Department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and Viktor Zaiets as head of the agency’s Military Counterintelligence Department.

Decrees published on the Presidential Office website confirmed the latest appointments.

The two positions had remained vacant since Jan. 5, when Zelensky dismissed Andrii Tupikov and Oleksandr Dubrovin. The dismissals in January came amid a wider government reshuffle following a major corruption scandal last year.

Also on Jan. 5, Zelensky had appointed Yevhen Khmara as acting head of the SBU after Vasyl Maliuk stepped down from the top post but remained in the agency to focus on operations against Russia.

Maliuk oversaw several high-profile operations against Russian military targets during his time in the role.

Ukraine’s Security Service has played a key role in counterintelligence operations and sabotage missions targeting Russian military and infrastructure assets throughout the full-scale war.

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Sonya Bandouil

North American news editor

Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC. Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.

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