Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seeking to dismiss 28 Security Service officials shortly after firing the country’s top spy.
The reason for the dismissals was not given by Zelensky, who said only that a “personnel audit” of the Security Service of Ukraine was underway, according to CBS News.
“Different levels, different areas of focus,” Zelensky said Monday night. “But the reasons are similar — unsatisfactory results of work.”
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⚡️Zelensky to dismiss 28 officials from Security Service.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will dismiss 28 officials from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The announcement came after Zelensky initiated the dismissal of SBU chief Ivan Bakanov earlier today.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 18, 2022
Zelensky dismissed Ivan Bakanov, the Security Service’s chief, on Sunday night for neglecting his duties and also fired Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova. A report from Politico in late June cited allegations that Bakanov did not adequately respond to Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24.
The Ukrainian military needs “at least” 100 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to launch an “effective” counterattack against Russia, Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov said Tuesday. Since Russia’s invasion, the United States has provided more than $7 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
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The Biden administration will announce new military aid for Ukraine sometime this week, which will include rocket systems, National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said Tuesday. Kirby also warned that Russia is planning to annex Ukrainian territory under its control, specifically the city of Kherson and all of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.