Zelensky – about the head of the SBU Bakanov: If I wanted to fire him, I would have already fired him

Vladimir Zelensky commented on media reports about the desire to dismiss the head of the SBU Ivan Bakanov . The President of Ukraine said that if he wanted this, he would have already done it.

– As for the head of the Security Service of Ukraine: firstly, if I wanted to fire him, I would have already fired him, and secondly, we are undergoing an inspection of all law enforcement agencies now. It is precisely because of the fact that on February 24 there was a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on our land, – he said, answering journalists' questions at a briefing with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Kyiv.

The head of state noted that some representatives of those or other law enforcement agencies have gone somewhere, instead of being in place and protecting their state and people.

– For different reasons. All these reasons – I travel around the regions and listen to the reports personally. And therefore, the change of leadership of any law enforcement agency, I emphasize: any, depends only on this. That's what I'm doing,” he said.

Zelensky added that he fully supports the reform of the SBU. He reminded that the law concerning the reform was voted in the first reading, “however, it was before the war”.

– The war makes adjustments. We will continue (the reform – Ed.) on the way to the EU. But I emphasize again, we are reforming for ourselves, not for the European Union. There are many reforms, many plans. I think even war will not stop us from taking important steps,” the president said.

On June 23, Politico, citing its own sources, reported that Vladimir Zelensky wants to dismiss Ivan Bakanov because Russian troops managed to gain a foothold in Kherson . The American publication referred to four officials close to the president and one Western diplomat who advised Kyiv on the reform of the SBU.

In a video message following the results of March 31, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Andriy Naumov, the former head of the main department of internal security of the SBU, and Serhiy Krivoruchko, the former head of the SBU in the Kherson region, were deprived of their general ranks. He called them traitors.

In May 2019, Ivan Bakanov was appointed by the president as the first deputy head of the SBU, and later became interim chairman. On August 29, 2019, the parliament appointed him head of the Security Service of Ukraine.