Ukraine fires top cyber defence officials over corruption charges

On Monday, prosecutors announced an inquiry into suspected theft in the government’s cyber security agency, and two senior cyber defence officers in Ukraine were fired, according to a government official.

Leading cabinet member Taras Melnychuk posted on Telegram that the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP) chief, Yurii Shchyhol, and his deputy, Viktor Zhora, were fired by the government.

The cabinet’s delegate to parliament, Melnychuk, omitted to disclose the grounds behind the terminations. Neither man nor their lawyers could be reached for comment.

The SSSCIP is responsible for securing government communications and defending the state from cyber attacks.

Less than an hour had passed before anti-corruption prosecutors declared they were looking into the head and deputy head of the SSSCIP for their alleged roles in a six-person scheme to embezzle 62 million UAH ($1.72 million) between 2020 and 2022. This was when news of the firings broke.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine stated that authorities believe the officials purchased software at a premium price from two businesses that they purportedly controlled in an auction that was closed to other bidders.

Both officials were not named by the prosecution. The SSSCIP claimed in a Telegram post that all agency procurement had been done legally and that it was working with investigators.

(With agency inputs)