President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky wants to change the head of the Ukrainian Security Service, reports Politico, citing four officials close to the Ukrainian president, as well as a Western diplomat who advised Kyiv about the reforms necessary for the SBU.
Now the position is held by Ivan Bakanov. One of the interlocutors Politico claims that the work of the head of the SBU “is extremely unhappy.” “We are not satisfied with his managerial [skills], because now we need anti -crisis management skills, which, as we think, he does not have,” he explained.
“Zelensky wants to replace his childhood friend, whom he attracted for the leadership of the SBU, to someone who is more suitable for a post in wartime,” said Politico.
According to the sources of the newspaper, concern is caused not only by Bakanov’s work after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but also by decisions that were made by senior SBU employees. They noted that their decisions in the first hours and days could cost a country of precious territories, including the strategic city of Kherson. “
A senior Ukrainian official told the publication that at the beginning of hostilities the leaders of the SBU in many regions behaved very strangely, they ran away, and one of them even set fire to the entire SBU building in Chernigov, since there was no time to export the documents.