The deputy head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , Andrey Smirnov, who is one of his closest associates, denied that the head of the state security service Ivan Bakanov and Irina Venediktova were fired.
He said on Ukrainian television that Bakanov was temporarily suspended from performing his duties while checks and investigations were carried out and that Venediktova was suspended.
He was asked if the two could return to their jobs at some point.
– We live in a country that respects the laws and of course, I can imagine that possibility, if the investigation acquits them of guilt – he said.
Zelenskyy said last night that he dismissed the highest officials because it was revealed that many members of their agencies cooperated with Russia, CNN reported.
Earlier in June, Lyudmyla Denisova, a former Ukrainian Ombudsman for Human Rights, was dismissed from her services after her fake claims and fake news against Russian soldiers.
