Zelensky dismisses Ukraine's prosecutor general and spy chief over leadership concerns

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday he has dismissed Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and Security Service head Ivan Bakanov, due to concerns over their leadership and the number of officials in their departments suspected of treason.

Zelensky said as of Sunday, 651 criminal proceedings have been "registered regarding treason and collaboration activities of employees of prosecutor's offices, pretrial investigation bodies, and other law enforcement agencies," and more than 60 employees of the prosecutor's office and Security Service remain in "the occupied territory and are working against our state."

It was necessary to remove Venediktova and Bakanov because "such an array of crimes against the foundations of the national security of the state and the connections detected between the employees of the security forces of Ukraine and the special services of Russia pose very serious questions to the relevant leadership," Zelensky said. "Each of these questions will receive a proper answer." He went on to declare that anyone found to be working with Russia and against Ukraine will be "held accountable."

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