Ukrainian President Dismisses High-ranking Officials On Suspicion Of Treason

According to a report on July 17th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky surprisingly announced in a speech on the night of the 17th, firing Security Service of Ukraine (Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrayiny, SBU) Director Ivan Bakanov and State Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova on the grounds that many officials in these agencies have been found collaborating with Russia, compromising the foundation of national security and posing very serious problems for the leaders involved.

Zelensky said that 651 cases have been opened against prosecution and law enforcement officials suspected of treason and collaboration with the enemy, and over 60 officials of the Prosecutor’s Office and the SBU were still working against Ukraine in Russian-occupied territories. Oleksiy Symonenko was newly appointed as the new Prosecutor General.

The firing of officials has undoubtedly become the biggest political sacking since Russia’s February 24th invasion.

Russian troops occupied large swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine during the invasion, resulting in the destruction of cities, as well as thousands of deaths and millions of displaced people.

It remains unclear how the Russian-occupied Kherson region in the south fell so quickly, in sharp contrast to the fierce resistance around Kyiv that forced Russia to finally withdraw and focus its efforts on capturing the industrial heartland of Donbass in the east.

In his nightly speech to the nation, Zelensky noted the recent arrest of the former national security chief overseeing the Crimea region on suspicion of treason.