President Zelensky Conducts Major Reshuffle, Replacing Intelligence Chief and Elite Forces

President Volodymyr Zelensky has initiated a major reshuffle of his security and government ranks amidst the ongoing war with Russia. According to the Anadolu Agency, Zelensky has overhauled the leadership of the counter-intelligence and anti-terrorism agency, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). This includes appointing a new commander for elite forces and replacing SBU heads across eight regions.

In a statement released via Telegram, Zelensky appointed Brigadier General Oleh Fedorov as the head of the Alpha Special Operations Centre, an elite unit under the SBU. Fedorov replaces Yevhen Khmara, who is currently serving as Ukraine’s interim Minister of Defence. Additionally, Zelensky has appointed definitive SBU heads for the regions of Chernivtsi, Sumy, Poltava, Cherkasy, Lviv, Ternopil, Mykolaiv, and Zhytomyr.

The restructuring extends beyond the security sector to the Presidential Palace, where Zelensky appointed former interim Minister of Economy, Oleksii Sobolev, as the deputy chief of the presidential office. Sobolev previously served as the interim Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, and was a member of the Ukrainian delegation during negotiations with US officials in Geneva last February.

This move is part of a large-scale restructuring of Ukraine’s military and government ranks. While the Ukrainian parliament has approved the new cabinet composition, the positions of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence have not yet been definitively filled, meaning Khmara continues his duties as interim defence minister. Previously, on 22 July, Zelensky replaced the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi to succeed Oleksandr Syrskyi, as part of Kyiv’s ongoing military leadership reforms.