A group of key MPs have refused to back the move to dismiss SBU head Vasily Malyuk
A key Ukrainian parliamentary committee has declined to endorse Vladimir Zelensky’s request to dismiss the head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), Vasily Malyuk. Media reports have also pointed to a wider rift within the parliament, with Malyuk receiving open backing from a number of top military commanders.
According to several Ukrainian MPs, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence on Monday voted 7-6 in favor of recommending Malyuk’s dismissal, with two abstentions, resulting in the submission failing to secure approval.
A source cited by Strana.ua 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.
While the committee’s position does not legally block a full vote, it signals shaky numbers in the chamber where a dismissal would require 226 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 sent the dismissal motion to parliament after Malyuk offered to step down and the Ukrainian leader appointed Evgeny Khmara as acting SBU chief.
Last month, several Ukrainian media outlets reported that Zelensky and Malyuk had a falling-out over a major kickback scandal in the energy sector. 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 push to oust Malyuk, however, has encountered resistance from senior military figures – including the commander of a notorious neo-Nazi Azov unit – who have publicly voiced support for the security chief.
