Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has replaced one of the country’s top security officials in a reshuffle that comes as the war with Russia drags into a third year.
Mr Zelenskiy dismissed Oleksii Danilov, who served as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, thanking him for his service in a video late on Tuesday.
The president said, without providing details, that Mr Danilov will be “reassigned to another area”.
Mr Zelenskiy replaced Mr Danilov with Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the former head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
Today, I continued the reset of our state governance system. I am grateful to Oleksiy Danilov for his service as Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council. He will now work on a new direction; more details will follow.
I appointed Oleksandr Lytvynenko as the… pic.twitter.com/4Ds2WTxrZLAdvertisement— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 26, 2024
The National Security Council is a policy coordination body that includes top officials and chaired by Mr Zelenskiy.
Mr Danilov’s dismissal comes as exhausted Ukrainian troops struggling with a shortage of personnel and ammunition are facing a growing Russian pressure along the front line that stretches more than 620 miles.
The reshuffle follows February’s decision by Mr Zelenskiy to remove the country’s chief military officer, Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, replacing him Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Tensions between Gen Zaluzhnyi and the president grew after Ukraine’s much-touted 2023 counteroffensive failed to reach its goals.
Earlier this month, Gen Zaluzhnyi was named Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.
