Andriy Biletskyi, commander of the Third Army Corps, stated that Vasyl Maliuk's resignation weakens defense capabilities, but the retention of strong specialists in the SBU minimizes risks. The newly appointed acting head of the SBU, Yevhen Khmara, and First Deputy Oleksandr Poklad were key figures in successful special operations.
Any political changes in sensitive areas, especially during wartime, should not weaken the state's defense capabilities. The resignation of Vasyl Maliuk objectively weakens it. At the same time, an attempt was made to play it safe – by retaining the most skilled and experienced specialists in the SBU. This was stated in a comment to Ukrainian News by the commander of the Third Army Corps, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, as reported by UNN.
Biletsky was among the military personnel who called for Vasyl Maliuk to remain in office. "With Maliuk, his deputies are leaving the system, which creates a risk of losing managerial continuity and operational work. For a country at war, this is a challenge. Maintaining continuity is critically important," Biletsky said.
Today, the SBU's area of responsibility includes war and counterintelligence in all its manifestations. The military component involves strategic deep strikes against the enemy (against rear areas, tankers, oil refining, the "shadow fleet") and operations directly on the front line.
Biletsky added that the main professional core of the service – the team that developed and implemented the most resonant and effective special operations – is being preserved. The newly appointed acting head of the SBU, Yevhen Khmara, was Maliuk's right-hand man precisely in the military sphere.
"He directly developed and led significant military operations. The formation of the 'Alpha' special unit in its current form is also largely his merit. It is also worth mentioning his significant role in the operation on Snake Island, the battles for Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. The list goes on and on," said the corps commander.
Biletsky also positively assessed the appointment of Oleksandr Poklad as the first deputy head of the SBU. He called this decision one aimed at maintaining a high professional standard in counterintelligence. For example, it was Poklad who, in April 2022, led the operation to detain Viktor Medvedchuk. He developed and implemented operations to eliminate high-ranking Russian military personnel, and was involved in identifying and detaining top agents – both in political circles and within the service and other law enforcement agencies.
He is credited with high-profile exposures of Russian agents: SBU General Shaitanov, colonels of the State Protection Department; the arrest of the director of the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant, who was recruited by Russia and supplied hundreds of thousands of unusable ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Poklad also dealt with Hungarian agents in Ukraine and prevented a series of terrorist attacks in shopping centers.
"How successful the new team will be, time will tell. However, it is fundamentally important that the key figures who stood behind the significant operations remained in the system and even received promotions," the general added.
