Zelenskiy fires Ukraine's spy chief and top state prosecutor

[turbinetree]

Source: The Guardian

Reuters
Sun 17 Jul 2022 18.03 EDT

SBU’s Ivan Bakanov and war crimes prosecutor Iryna Venediktova sacked after their officials found to be collaborating with Russia

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has fired the head of Ukraine’s powerful domestic security agency, the SBU, and the state prosecutor general, citing dozens of cases of collaboration with Russia by officials in their agencies.

Sunday’s abrupt sackings of SBU chief Ivan Bakanov, a childhood friend of Zelenskiy, and the prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, who played a key role in the prosecution of Russian war crimes, were announced in executive orders on the president’s website.

In a Telegram post, Zelenskiy said he had fired the top officials because it had come to light that many members of their agencies had collaborated with Russia, a problem that he said had touched other agencies as well.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/17/zelenskiy-fires-ukraines-spy-chief-and-top-state-prosecutor

[Joinfortmill]

1. Wow, Zelenskiy is really up against it. God bless him.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Nothing worse than being betrayed by your own friend.

[Postal Grunt]

7. Was it really betrayal...

or was it that Mr Bakanov just wasn't getting the job done? A quick Wikipedia search seems to indicate that prior to being appointed to a position in the Ukrainian intelligence agency, Mr Bakanov had no experience in the field. US intelligence agencies and the FBI have dedicated divisions in their agencies and have still missed personnel who had betrayed their country for extended periods of time. Until someone can prove that Mr Bakanov was acting against Ukrainian interests, it seems appropriate to suggest that he was someone who was in over his head and removing him from his position was the right thing to do.

[Martin68]

3. I hope this is not the result of Russian attempts to create suspicion and infighting among the

Ukrainian leadership. We are certainly doing that to Russia, and of course they will be trying to do the same in Ukraine.

[C Moon]

4. Every country has their trump-traitor types.

[Deuxcents]

5. Zelensky suffers no fools.

Childhood friends or not. What’s at stake is too serious. Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦

[Cha]

6. Wow.. what did it take

to Turn his friends?!!

Focus!
Please Fight to Save Our Democracy💙 in 2022 & 2024!

[Irish_Dem]

8. Putin is trying very hard to turn Ukraine leaders into Russian puppets.

Just like in the US and in Europe.

[malthaussen]

9. Wow, having your top spook be a collaborator is almost as bad as if it were your President! n/t

[867-5309.]

10. Damn - Russian collaborators that high up?

Not good.