Ukraine’s Zelenskyy fires spy chief and top prosecutor Transcript

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[foreign language 00:00:00].

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Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Sunday, fired the head of the country’s powerful domestic security agency, the SBU, and the top state prosecutor. That’s because dozens of officials in their agencies were found to be collaborating with Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy said SBU Chief, Ivan Bakanov, a childhood friend, and prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, who’s been leading war crime cases against Russia, had to take responsibility for the 650 plus cases of treason and collaboration opened against their staff.

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Such an array of crimes against the foundations of the state’s national security and the connections detected between the employees of Ukraines security forces and Russian special services pose very serious questions to the relevant leaders. Each of these questions will receive a proper answer.

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The firings are the biggest political sacking since the invasion began. Zelenskyy said more than 60 officials from the pairs departments were now working against Ukraine in Russian occupied territories and noted the problem had touched other departments as well. The sheer number of treason cases lays bare the huge challenge of Russian infiltration faced by Ukraine since Moscow began what it calls its special military operation on February 24th. In particular, questions have loomed over how the southern port region of Harrison fell so quickly to Russia in early March. That was in sharp contrast to the fierce resistance around Kiev, that forced Russia eventually to back off and instead focus on capturing Donbass in the east. Russian troops have now captured swaths of Ukraine’s south and east in an invasion that has killed thousands, displaced millions, and destroyed entire cities.