President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered senior officials to "cleanse" the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) of individuals "whose interests are not aligned with the state," according to defense monitors, highlighting the internal security challenges Ukraine faces while fighting external aggression.
Zelensky directed Yevhen Khmara and Oleksandr Poklad, senior security officials, to lead the effort to identify and remove compromised or unreliable personnel from the SBU, Ukraine's primary counterintelligence and internal security agency. The announcement came without specific details about the scope of the purge or the nature of threats identified.
The SBU has undergone significant reorganization since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022, with Zelensky previously dismissing senior officials for alleged failures to prevent Russian advances and suspected collaboration. The agency's performance has been uneven, with notable successes in counterintelligence operations balanced by documented instances of Russian infiltration.
"Fighting a war while simultaneously addressing internal security threats is one of Ukraine's most difficult challenges," said political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko of the Penta Center for Political Studies. "The SBU inherited Soviet-era structures and personnel networks that have proven vulnerable to Russian intelligence exploitation."
In Ukraine, as across nations defending their sovereignty, resilience is not just survival—it's determination to build a better future. Ukrainian authorities have prosecuted numerous cases of alleged collaboration, sabotage, and intelligence collection for Russia, including some involving security service personnel. These cases demonstrate both the seriousness of infiltration threats and the challenges of maintaining internal security during wartime.
The SBU has documented successes against Russian intelligence networks, including arrests of agents targeting Ukrainian military installations, identifying saboteurs preparing strikes on infrastructure, and disrupting Russian influence operations. However, continued Russian missile strikes often demonstrate accurate intelligence on Ukrainian military positions, suggesting ongoing information leaks.
Zelensky's announcement suggests renewed concern about SBU reliability amid critical phases of the war. Ukraine is simultaneously conducting offensive operations in Russia's Kursk region, defending against pressure in the Donbas, and preparing for potential spring offensives.
Western intelligence services have supported Ukrainian counterintelligence efforts, providing training, equipment, and analytical support to identify compromised personnel. However, the fundamental challenge remains: transforming a security apparatus built during Soviet times to serve a democratic state defending itself against its former imperial center.
The purge order comes at a sensitive moment, as Ukraine also advances European Union membership negotiations requiring extensive governance and rule-of-law reforms, including in security services. Balancing wartime security requirements with democratic accountability and transparency remains an ongoing challenge for Ukrainian authorities.
