Zelenskyy reappoints Khmara as Head of SSU Special Operations Center "A"

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Yevhenii Khmara as the Head of the Special Operations Center "A" of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU). This is stated in decree No. 657 of August 25, the Ukrainian News agency reports.

"To appoint Yevhenii Leonidovych Khmara as the head of the Special Operations Center "A" of the Security Service of Ukraine," the document states.

At the same time, Zelenskyy dismissed Khmara from the position of the Head of the Center for Special Operations for Combating Terrorism, Protecting Participants in Criminal Proceedings and Law Enforcement Officers of the SSU, which he had held since April 2023.

This concerns the reassignment of Major General Khmara to the position of the head of the Special Operations Center "A" to the same position he held previously. The reassignment took place due to the official renaming of the unit, in accordance with the Law "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Improvement of Certain Issues of the Activities of the Security Service of Ukraine and Increasing Its Efficiency in Connection with Participation in Repelling and Deterring Armed Aggression against Ukraine".

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, previously, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk, noted that the Special Operations Center "A" of the SSU performs unique special operations behind enemy lines and demonstrates high results at the front.

In June 1994, the Presidential Decree established Department "A" as part of the Central Department of the SSU and the corresponding units in the regions.

In July 1996, it was reorganized into the Department for Combating Terrorism, Protecting Participants in Criminal Proceedings and Law Enforcement Officers of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Since December 2005, the Center for Special Operations for Combatting Terrorism, Protecting Participants in Criminal Proceedings and Law Enforcement Officials has been operating.

Currently, the fighters of the CSO "A", known as "Alpha", perform tasks in small groups in all areas of combat operations. In addition to stopping terrorist attacks and actions that threaten national security, the fighters stop the activities of illegal armed groups, capture especially dangerous criminals, release hostages, and protect participants in legal proceedings.