Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he plans to replace the head of the country's SBU security service, Vasyl Maliuk, ahead of a trip to Paris where he hopes to finalise agreements with allies on how to ensure that Russia does not repeat its invasion if a peace agreement is signed.
Maliuk was appointed SBU chief in February 2023, having already served as acting head for months before.
During his tenure, the service has carried out a number of high-profile operations, including an audacious drone attack on dozens of Russian strategic bombers stationed thousands of kilometres from Ukraine.
The SBU said he also oversaw a strike on a Russian submarine and three attacks on the bridge connecting Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula, a crucial Russian logistical node.
Maliuk has been praised by analysts for improving the SBU's effectiveness, after his predecessor Ivan Bakanov was dismissed by Zelenskiy in July 2022 for failing to root out Russian spies.
Zelenskiy said on X that he had asked Maliuk instead to focus more on combat operations, adding: "There must be more Ukrainian asymmetric operations against the occupier and the Russian state, and more solid results in eliminating the enemy."
Maliuk confirmed on the Telegram platform that he was resigning and said he would remain in the SBU system to implement "world-class asymmetric special operations".
The move comes days after Zelenskiy announced military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov would become his new chief of staff, and that he would seek to appoint new defence and energy ministers.
The deputy head of government and minister for digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, will take over the defence portfolio from Denys Shmyhal, Zelenskiy said.
Shmyhal, who previously also served as prime minister, will become energy minister.
Parliament must first confirm the appointments.
The Paris talks are expected to include the leaders of about 30 countries, dubbed the "coalition of the willing," which are ready to provide security guarantees to keep Ukraine safe in the future.
Key issues include whether countries are prepared to deploy troops inside or close to Ukraine and what the remit of any force overseeing a ceasefire might be.
Russia has said it will not accept troops from NATO military alliance member countries on Ukrainian soil.
In his New Year's address, Zelenskiy said a proposed settlement was "90 per cent ready" but warned that the remaining 10 per cent, believed to include issues such as the future of disputed territory, would determine the outcome of the push for peace.
The fighting has not subsided along the roughly 1000km front line that snakes along southern and eastern Ukraine.
An overnight Russian drone strike at a private clinic in Kyiv's Obolon district killed a 30-year-old old patient and injured three others, the capital's prosecutor's office said on Monday.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at an industrial facility in Yelets, in Russia's western Lipetsk region, according to regional governor Igor Artamonov.
There were no casualties, he said.
The Russian airports of Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl briefly suspended flights because of Ukrainian drone attacks, authorities said.
The Russian defence ministry reported downing another 50 Ukrainian drones later on Monday over the Belgorod, Kursk and Lipetsk regions.
with DPA and AP