2024-02-06T19:42:00+02:00 Politics 2024-05-15T04:18:14+03:00

Ukrainian news

Maliuk says, for him from now on, priority is to protect freedom of speech and media independence

Maliuk says, for him from now on, priority is to protect freedom of speech and media independence

Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk said that for him from now on, the priority task is to protect freedom of speech and media independence.

This is stated in the SSU message on Telegram, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

Maliuk noted that the SSU today makes an extremely important contribution to the defense of the country, counterintelligence, fighters of the Special Operations Center “A”, investigators, cyber experts, operatives, analysts - all SSU employees are united by the goal of approaching Ukraine's victory.

"In such circumstances, the actions of individual employees of the Department of Protection of National Statehood cause real outrage. Unfortunately, the implementation of measures to counter organized drug crime led not only to the receipt of information about the involvement of one of the editorial operators in the distribution of narcotic substances, but also to the public distribution of video materials. I emphasize that such actions are unacceptable and have already entailed a number of personnel decisions," he said.

Maliuk stressed that he had already sent a submission to dismiss the head of the Department of Protection of National Statehood of the SSU, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the corresponding decree on January 31.

"My position is unequivocal - the actions of individual employees cannot cross out all the positive results that the SSU has during the war and cast a shadow on every representative of the Service: both those who fight with the enemy inside the country and those comrades from the SSU who give their lives on the battlefield for Ukraine. Any illegal acts should be punished," the statement said.

Maliuk assured that for him from now on, the priority is to protect freedom of speech and the independence of the media.

"And I, as the head of the SSU, will do everything possible so that every media can work freely in Ukraine. Today we are not just building an updated SSU, but defending democratic values, including freedom of speech and independence of the media. For me personally, from now on, it's super priority!" he declared.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, journalists of the Bihus.Info investigation project said that the operation to listen to and video their former colleagues during the New Year's party was carried out by order of one of the departments of the Security Service of Ukraine.

By decree of January 31, Zelenskyy dismissed the head of the Department of Protection of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine Roman Semenchenko, who served as the head of the department since October 27, 2022.

The SSU immediately commented on Zelenskyy’s dismissal of the head of the Department of Protection of National Statehood, explaining this decision by optimizing approaches to the work of the department, including ensuring the smooth operation of the media and ensuring a sufficient level of security.

On January 17, Zelenskyy reacted to information about surveillance of Ukrainian journalists: in his traditional evening video address, he said that the Security Service of Ukraine began an investigation and will find out all the circumstances, emphasizing that any pressure on journalists is unacceptable.