EU reacts to removal of Prosecutor General

After the suspension of Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, it is necessary to maintain cooperation with international partners regarding the investigation and prosecution of Russian war crimes.

Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine Matti Maasikas wrote about this on Twitter.

"With President Zelenskyy removing the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the most important thing - apart from the constitutional processes that follows - is to maintain good work and cooperation with international partners in the investigation and prosecution of Russian war crimes," the message reads.

As reported by Ukrainian News Agency, on Sunday, President Zelenskyy suspended Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and dismissed the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) Ivan Bakanov. He explained this by the fact that the large amount of crimes against national security and the connections of representatives of law enforcement agencies with the special services of the Russian Federation pose serious questions to the heads of these two bodies.

Deputy Head of the President's Office Andrii Smirnov later emphasized that Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov were not dismissed, but temporarily suspended for the investigation.

On Monday evening, Zelenskyy submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a motion to dismiss Bakanov from the position of head of the Security Service of Ukraine and Venediktova from the position of prosecutor general.