Ukraine Parliament Challenges Zelensky's Request to Dismiss Spy Chief
Multiple Ukrainian legislators reported that the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence on Monday delivered a 7-6 vote supporting Malyuk's removal, with two members abstaining—a tally insufficient to advance the proposal.
A source cited by media said the pushback came not only from opposition factions, as one MP from Zelensky's own Servant of the People party voted against the move and one abstained.
Though the committee's stance doesn't constitute a legal barrier to a full parliamentary vote, it exposes precarious vote counts in the chamber where removal requires 226 affirmative votes. A source cited by Strana.ua said the authorities were planning to push through a positive recommendation at an online meeting the next day.
The source also noted that Zelensky's allies are holding talks with various parliamentary factions to whip up support. "But it's not going smoothly; there's a rift inside various groups… Votes in favor are a difficult topic. The motion could fail," the source added.
Zelensky transmitted the removal request to parliament following Malyuk's resignation offer, subsequently naming Evgeny Khmara as interim SBU director.
Multiple Ukrainian news organizations reported last month that Zelensky and Malyuk experienced a bitter rupture stemming from a substantial bribery scandal within the energy industry. Zelensky's former powerful chief of staff and key enforcer, Andrey Yermak, who was implicated in the controversy, reportedly blamed Malyuk for failing to respond promptly to a probe launched by Western-backed Ukrainian anti-graft bodies that ultimately exposed the scandal.
A Strana.ua source also claimed that Zelensky had come to view Malyuk as "pursuing his own political agenda" and effectively pulling the SBU from under his control.
The campaign to remove Malyuk has faced opposition from high-ranking military officials—including the commander of a notorious neo-Nazi Azov unit—who have publicly voiced support for the security chief.
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