Zelenskyy visits Kharkiv, fires city's security services head for 'not working on defence'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said that he has fired Kharkiv’s top security services officer for not working hard enough for the defence of the city since Russia began its military offensive in late February. Zelenskyy made his first trip on May 29 to the war-ravaged eastern region of the country since February 24, when Moscow announced the ‘special’ military operation in Ukraine. 

Following the visit, in his daily address, Zelenskyy announced that he had fired the northeastern city's security chief in a rare public rebuke. 

The Ukrainian President said, "I came, understood, and fired the head of the Security Service of Ukraine of the [Kharkiv] region for the fact that he did not work on the defense of the city from the first days of the full-scale war, but thought only about himself."

"On which motives? The law enforcement officers will figure it out," he added without mentioning any more details, even the officer’s name. Zelenskyy said that the local officials "have 100% cooperation: the army, the police, the mayor of Kharkiv, the regional state administration. All work for victory and do it very effectively." He also said, "Unfortunately, this cannot be said about the local leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine." 

The security service is also known as the SBU. The Ukrainian President’s announcement regarding him firing the official in Kharkiv was made just hours after visiting the northeastern Ukrainian city. It is to note here that Kharkiv has been under the threat of Russian invasion since the early days of the conflict which has now entered the fourth month. Russian forces have launched aerial strikes on Kharkiv which is also the second-largest Ukrainian city.

Zelenskyy visited Kharkiv ahead of addressing EU leaders

Earlier, Zelenskyy posted a video on social media showing him in a bullet-proof vest while reviewing the destruction of Kharkiv and its surroundings. While the war with Russia continues to devastate Ukraine, Zelenskyy is set to address the European Union (EU) leaders in Brussels through a video link on Monday. His address would come in the backdrop of EU leaders trying to break the stalemate on the Russian oil embargo. 

Image: zelenskiy.official/Facebook