The head of Ukraine’s Security Service and the main planner of years of successful sabotage and attack operations behind Russian lines, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, has agreed to quit his job as part of a national security leadership reshuffle.
Announcing his resignation on the SBU’s official Telegram channel, Malyuk said he would remain in the agency to lead “world-class asymmetric special operations” against Russia.
“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,” he wrote, thanking President Volodymyr Zelensky for defense-sector reforms.
Malyuk, a combat veteran and lieutenant general, was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine in May 2025 for his service.
Last week, Zelensky reportedly offered Malyuk a new role – either at the Foreign Intelligence Service or the National Security and Defense Council – but he declined at the time.
As part of the transition, Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara – head of the SBU’s elite “Alpha” special operations unit – was appointed acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine, a decision formalized by a presidential decree signed by Zelensky.
Khmara is regarded as a low-profile officer with extensive field experience in special operations. He took command of Alpha in August on the president’s orders.
The resignation comes amid a wave of high-profile personnel moves by Zelensky. Kyrylo Budanov was appointed head of the Presidential Office, while Cabinet reshuffles moved Mykhailo Fedorov to Defense and Denys Shmyhal to Energy.
Zelensky has said he plans broader rotations across all security, law enforcement, and military leadership to ensure “fresh strength” as the war continues. Most outgoing officials are expected to stay in government in new roles.
“With deep gratitude to my colleagues, all combat comrades, and the people of Ukraine. Eternal respect to those who gave their lives for our future. I am honored,” Malyuk added.
Under Malyuk’s command, the SBU has spearheaded Ukraine’s clandestine war against Russia, by most accounts with great effectiveness. Perhaps the best-known and most spectacular confirmed SBU operation took place in June 2024, when SBU agents used strike drones concealed in freight trucks to attack four military airfields deep inside Russia. The operation reportedly damaged or destroyed about one-third of the Kremlin’s strategic bomber fleet – 41 aircraft.
Malyuk became a household name in Ukraine following the 2022 sabotage of the strategically critical Kerch Bridge, carried out by SBU agents using a truck loaded with 21 tons of hexogen explosives.
In December 2024 Malyuk said SBU operators killed Russia’s Gen. Igor Kirillov, an officer accused by Kyiv of overseeing the use of Russian chemical weapons in combat against Ukrainian troops, in a Moscow assassination. Kirillov died after approaching a scooter containing concealed explosives parked near his apartment building.
According to some Ukrainian news reports, Malyuk, once a Zelensky favorite because of the SBU’s highly successful operational record, came into conflict with the president for initially refusing to deploy SBU agents and resources against state anti-corruption agencies threatening Zelensky allies with exposure. Eventually, in late July 2025, the SBU conducted searches of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
Malyuk, compared to the newly appointed SBU acting head Khmara, is much better known. His public image is that of a broad-shouldered, square-jawed officer bluntly describing SBU contract hits against senior Russian officers, or detailing sabotage operations carried out under the nose of Russian security agencies and police. A popular YouTube cartoon depicted a Hulk-like Malyuk stomping on the Kremlin.
Military commanders dissent
Malyuk’s removal from the SBU drew sharp objections from more than a half dozen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s (AFU) best-known and combat-seasoned top commanders, of whom some are domestic political players in their own right.
Colonel Denys Prokopenko, commander of 1st National Guard Corps “Azov” and a national hero for his unit’s defense of the surrounded city of Mariupol in 2022, in comments on his personal Facebook page praised Malyuk for decisiveness, bravery under fire, tactical skill and dedication to the national defense.
“Vasyl Vasylovich [Malyuk] is a professional who is fully involved and aware of the work of his teams. This has brought enormous benefits to the defense of Ukraine... It is a great fortune for our state to have such a competent and devoted head of the SBU during the war. If we measure the competence and effectiveness of the work of officials by their efficiency per year, then, perhaps, he is one of the most effective leaders,” Prokopenko said in part.
Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, commander of 3rd Corps, a veteran formation with much of its cadre drawn from the city and regions surrounding the capital Kyiv, said that replacing Malyuk would weaken the Ukrainian war effort.
“Under Malyuk’s leadership, the SBU became a key strategic factor in the war: strikes on the economic nodes of the Russian Federation, irreparable losses of Russian strategic aviation and the actual withdrawal of the Russian fleet from the war. Any personnel replacement at this stage is a risk for the front and the defense capability of the state,” Biletsky said in comments published on the 3rd Corps information page.
Among other top Ukrainian field officers speaking out over the weekend against the Zelensky plan to remove Malyuk from SBU leadership were Maj. Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, overall commander of Ukraine’s massive drone forces as head of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) and Lt. Gen. Mykhailo Drapaty, commander of the UFA’s Joint Forces.
Lower-level Ukrainian formations releasing statements or content opposing Malyuk’s sacking/transfer included Ukraine’s elite 3rd Assault Brigade, 14th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, 25th Parachute Infantry Brigade and 141st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Kyiv Post checks of unit feeds found.
High-profile Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov, in a Saturday comment on the news platform Censor.net, echoing views of Malyuk’s army supporters, said “there is absolutely no logic” in a change of the leadership of the SBU “His role in the successful combat operations of the SBU is key, he has a real influence on the situation at the front, and is a pivotal figure in the security system. If Malyuk is removed, then the country’s defense capabilities will be weakened, and the government will be seriously undermined,” Butusov said.