Former SBU official who defected to Russia and an Emergencies Ministry colonel killed in war against Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
Major General Volodymyr Lyapkin and Colonel Eduard Malov died on March 17, 2026. Former SBU official Lyapkin was suspected of collaboration by Ukraine.
A former SBU official who defected to Russia and a colonel of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations died on the same day in the war against Ukraine. This was reported by collaborator Oleg Tsarev, according to UNN.
Details
The individuals in question are Major General Volodymyr Lyapkin, who previously headed one of the SBU departments and later defected to Russia, and Eduard Malov, a colonel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations from the Moscow region.
According to media reports, both died on March 17, 2026, but the circumstances of their deaths are not disclosed.
It is noted that after 2014, Lyapkin moved to Russia, and after the start of the full-scale invasion, he held a position in the structures created by the occupiers in the temporarily occupied territories. In 2025, the SBU notified him of suspicion of collaborative activities.
Information about the death of both individuals is currently being disseminated with reference to Russian and pro-Russian sources.