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Zelensky replaces two Presidential Office deputy heads

• 1 min read
Zelensky replaces two Presidential Office deputy heads
President Volodymyr Zelensky in his office on March 28, 2024. (Volodymyr Zelensky / Telegram)

President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 29 dismissed Andrii Smyrnov and Oleksii Dniprov from their posts as deputy heads of the Presidential Office.

They were replaced by Deputy Justice Minister Iryna Mudra and by Olena Kovalska, who worked at the Presidential Office's Main Department of Strategic Communications of the Information Policy Directorate and headed the cabinet of the Presidential Office's head, Andriy Yermak.

The appointments were announced on the Presidential Office's website. No reason for the replacements was provided.

Zelensky announced the changes amid a wider personnel reshuffle, which also included the replacement of National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov by the chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleksandr Lytvynenko.

In turn, Danilov was appointed as Ukraine's ambassador to Moldova, replacing Markо Shevchenko.

Dniprov has served as the deputy head of the Presidential Office since July 2021, while Smirnov has held the position since September 2019. The head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, has 10 deputies.

The president said back in February that a reset of Ukraine's leadership was necessary and could involve several personnel shakeups beyond the military.

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Martin Fornusek

Assistant Editor

Martin Fornusek is an assistant editor at the Kyiv Independent. Until recently, Martin held the role of foreign affairs reporter specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, focusing on developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

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