In a significant administrative restructuring, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Ievhen Khmara as acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), replacing Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk who announced his resignation. This leadership change occurs just days before Zelenskyy’s pivotal diplomatic mission to Paris, where approximately 30 allied nations—dubbed the ‘Coalition of the Willing’—will convene to negotiate security guarantees for Ukraine’s future sovereignty.
The Paris summit aims to establish concrete measures preventing renewed Russian aggression, potentially including international troop deployments near Ukrainian territory—a proposition Moscow has vehemently rejected regarding NATO forces. These discussions unfold against the backdrop of Zelenskyy’s comprehensive government reorganization, which recently saw Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of military intelligence, appointed as presidential chief of staff.
Despite ongoing peace negotiations that Zelenskyy claims are ‘90% complete,’ military confrontations persist relentlessly. Recent hostilities include fatal Russian drone strikes on Kyiv medical facilities and energy infrastructure, exacerbating civilian hardships during winter. Concurrently, Ukrainian drones targeted several Russian regions, temporarily disrupting airport operations and igniting industrial fires, though causing no casualties according to Russian authorities.
The SBU’s outgoing leader Maliuk oversaw several successful operations against Russian forces, most notably ‘Operation Spiderweb’ which reportedly damaged or destroyed 41 Russian military aircraft. This strategic reshuffling reflects Ukraine’s dual focus on advancing diplomatic solutions while strengthening defensive capabilities ahead of the war’s fourth anniversary.