Security Service of Ukraine
Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko believes that the personnel changes initiated by President Zelenskyy are aimed at renewing power, strengthening the defense sector, and demonstrating his key role. The appointments of Budanov and Fedorov are aimed at forming a new defense strategy and technologizing production.
The SBU detained a Russian agent who blew up a Ukrainian serviceman's car in Kyiv's Obolonskyi district on January 4. As a result of the terrorist attack, the serviceman and his acquaintance were injured.
President Zelenskyy met with SBU Brigadier General Denys Kylymnyk, whom he awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine last summer. They discussed the results of the SBU's work in the war and the possible development of the Service.
President Zelenskyy met with SBU Major General Oleksandr Poklad. Specific tasks and operations to strengthen counterintelligence work were discussed.
Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine Oleksiy Kuleba has nominated Ihor Zelinsky for the position of head of the State Aviation Service, seeking to avoid an open competition. This comes ahead of the planned resumption of competitions for key government positions in the summer.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Yevhen Khmara as the acting Head of the Security Service of Ukraine. Khmara is the head of the SBU's Special Operations Center "A".
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with SBU Colonel Vasyl Kozak, who develops active Ukrainian operations. The head of state awarded him the title of Hero of Ukraine for his combat results.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Yuriy Boyko and Yaroslav Shlyakhov from the National Securities and Stock Market Commission. The relevant decrees are published on the website of the President's Office.
The duties of the head of the SBU will be temporarily performed by the head of the Special Operations Center "A" Yevhen Khmara, said Advisor to the President of Ukraine Dmytro Lytvyn.
President Zelenskyy met with Yevhen Khmara, head of the SBU's Special Operations Center "A". The possibilities for the systemic development of the SBU and future special operations were discussed.
Vasyl Malyuk confirmed that he is stepping down as Head of the Security Service, but will remain in the SBU system to implement world-class asymmetric special operations. He thanked the President of Ukraine for supporting changes in the defense sector and expressed belief in a just peace.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Vasyl Malyuk, thanking him for his combat work. The head of state instructed Malyuk to focus on Ukrainian asymmetric operations against the occupier to make this direction the strongest in the world.
Head of the SBU Vasyl Malyuk submitted his resignation at Zelenskyy's request. General Yevhen Khmara is likely to be appointed as acting head of the SBU.
In Kyiv on January 4, 2026, a device exploded while opening a car trunk, injuring a serviceman. The prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the terrorist act.
Police, together with the SBU, detained a 32-year-old man for selling an automatic rifle, five magazines, about 150 cartridges, six grenades, and detonators. He tried to sell the arsenal for 64,000 hryvnias.
Ukrainian defenders demonstrated footage of Russian drone destruction. SBU units eliminated five hundred "Shaheds" and "Gerbers" in the second half of 2025.
Personnel changes are ongoing in Ukraine at the level of regional administrations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced consultations regarding the appointment of new heads in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions.
The commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Major Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, stated that he is not entering politics, linking his future with art and business. He expressed support for the head of the SBU, Vasyl Maliuk, calling his possible replacement risky.
People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak announced the probable replacement of the head of the SBU, noting that Vasyl Malyuk may be offered another vacant position. According to him, this decision looks strange, and the potential candidate for replacement has not yet been confirmed.
The court заочно sentenced Oleksandr Kobets, the former head of the occupation administration of Kherson, to life imprisonment with confiscation of property. He was found guilty of treason and collaboration.
A 74-year-old pensioner in Kyiv gave more than UAH 1. 4 million to fraudsters who introduced themselves as SBU employees. They promised to check her savings for involvement in the aggressor country.
Ukraine's defense forces are under heavy pressure in the south, outnumbered by Russian brigades that have seized hundreds of square kilometers. The Russians have advanced in the Zaporizhzhia region, the situation remains tense, with the most intense fighting taking place in Huliaipole.
The SBU detained a 64-year-old resident of Makiivka in Kyiv, who had been working for the Russian occupation administration since 2014. She headed a kindergarten and implemented Russian educational standards, as well as agitated parents to cooperate with the occupiers.
SBU Head Vasyl Maliuk summarized 2025, noting the "Spiderweb" special operation, the destruction of 41 Russian strategic aviation aircraft, and an underwater explosion that shook the Crimean Bridge. A Russian submarine in the port of Novorossiysk was also hit.
On December 31, SBU drones attacked the Temp oil depot in Rybinsk, which is part of the Rosrezerv system. A large-scale fire broke out at the facility, disrupting the supply of petroleum products in the northeastern region of the Russian Federation.
Damage to the underwater telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn was recorded on December 31, 2025. Finnish police are investigating the incident, having identified a vessel with a dropped anchor chain in Finland's exclusive economic zone.
Units of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted damage on a number of military and infrastructure facilities in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia regions and in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Among the hit targets are an oil depot, a floating craft base, a radar station, deployment points and substations.
Archpriest Vasyl Kiiko, abbot of the Holy Protection Church in Hryshyne village, died on December 29 as a result of Russian shelling in Donetsk region.
The SBU detained a Kyiv resident who distributed videos of the capital's air defense system on social networks. The man filmed the deployment of Ukrainian air defense and published it on Telegram and Instagram.
The Cabinet of Ministers plans to consider Ihor Zelinskyi's candidacy for the position of head of the State Aviation Service, lobbied by Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba. This personnel decision raises serious questions given Zelinskyi's decisions made during his work in the leadership of the aviation regulator.