Zelensky fires security chief

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky dismissed the head of the National Security and Defense Council (SNBO), Aleksey Danilov, on Tuesday. The security chief has been known to resort to combative and abrasive rhetoric.

The relevant decree has been published on the Ukrainian president’s official website but provides no reason for the decision.

Aleksandr Litvinenko has since been named as the new SNBO chief. He has been at the helm of the Ukrainian foreign intelligence service since July 2021 and prior to that served as the deputy SNBO head.

Danilov has been known for harsh statements during his tenure. In late 2023, he insisted that all Ukrainians must “grow up” and fight, when commenting on Kiev’s recruitment troubles.

At the time, he also said that Ukraine’s planned mobilization drive would not last one day or one month, but that the whole process could take at least a year.

In November, he called for a crackdown on officials who disparage Zelensky while speaking anonymously to Western journalists. Danilov also slammed the messaging app Telegram, calling it “dangerous and vulnerable.” The app supposedly provides a platform for people seeking to influence Ukrainian society, he said in November, adding that he was ready to ban it outright. 

The former SNBO chief has also been critical of Kiev’s Western backers. In December, he stated that NATO’s war textbooks should be shelved as none of them could prepare soldiers for the war in Ukraine. He also repeatedly demanded more weapons for Kiev, warning that any setbacks suffered by the Ukrainian forces would damage the West’s own “image, authority and unity.”

In February 2024, Danilov demanded that the EU hand over all its heavy weapons to Ukraine, adding that the bloc itself would not need them anyway in future conflicts. 

Last week, the former official insulted China’s special representative on Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, over Beijing’s plans to potentially boycott international talks on the Ukraine conflict, which Kiev seeks to convene without Russia in Switzerland. Danilov mocked the Chinese diplomat’s name, using an obscene play on words, while commenting on the issue.

In August 2023, during a state-approved TV “broadcasting marathon,” Danilov also infamously claimed that Russians were less “humane” than Ukrainians because they are “Asians.” The former SNBO chief has also repeatedly promised to “kill” Russians everywhere, across the globe.