KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced the head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on Monday, accepting Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk’s resignation and naming Maj. Gen. Yevhenii Khmara as acting chief. Zelenskyy said the switch is meant to intensify “asymmetric” operations against Russia as the invasion nears its fourth year, Jan. 5, 2026.
The change was formalized in Decree No. 19/2026 published by Zelenskyy’s office, which ordered Khmara — the commander of the SBU’s Special Operations Center “A,” widely known as the Alpha unit — to temporarily perform the duties of SBU chief.
In comments reported by Reuters, Zelenskyy said he asked Maliuk to shift his focus toward combat operations, adding: “There must be more Ukrainian asymmetric operations against the occupier and the Russian state, and more solid results in eliminating the enemy.” Zelenskyy said Maliuk would remain within the SBU system to pursue that line of work.
Zelenskyy bets on Khmara’s Alpha background
Khmara, an Alfa veteran who joined the unit in 2011, has led the special operations formation since 2023, according to reporting by The Kyiv Independent. His elevation puts a career special operations officer at the helm of an agency central to Ukraine’s wartime counterintelligence mission and its expanding campaign of strikes and sabotage behind Russian lines.
Some Ukrainian officials and military figures have questioned the timing, warning that leadership changes can complicate fast-moving operational planning. Zelenskyy, however, has presented the move as part of a broader effort to tighten Kyiv’s security structure while keeping allies engaged on longer-term security guarantees, as described in The Associated Press’ account of the reshuffle.
A reshuffle with deep roots
Zelenskyy has repeatedly reworked the security sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion. In July 2022 he removed then-SBU chief Ivan Bakanov and the prosecutor general, citing dozens of collaboration cases in their agencies, Reuters reported at the time. A day later, Zelenskyy signed a decree appointing Maliuk as acting head of the SBU, according to a follow-up Reuters report.
Khmara’s rise also predates Monday’s announcement. Zelenskyy appointed him to lead the SBU’s Alpha Group in April 2023, Ukrainska Pravda reported, signaling a heavier reliance on special operations leadership as the war intensified.
Under Maliuk, the SBU claimed several high-profile successes, including the June 2025 drone operation known as “Spider’s Web,” which Ukrainian officials said struck Russian strategic aircraft at multiple air bases using drones concealed in structures transported by truck, according to a Reuters account of the attack.
For now, Khmara’s role is temporary, and a permanent appointment would typically require parliamentary action. Still, the change underscores Zelenskyy’s intent to keep the SBU closely aligned with wartime priorities — while retaining Maliuk’s operational experience inside the system even after the top job changed hands.
