The Ukrainian government has fired two of its top cybersecurity officials following accusations of alleged embezzlement.
Yurii Shchyhol, head of the State Service of Special Communications of Ukraine, or SSSCIP, and his deputy Victor Zhora (pictured), who served as deputy president and head of digital transformation at SSSCIP, have both been fired by the government, according to senior cabinet official. Taras Melnychuk in a public post on Telegram.
Melnichuk did not give a reason for the layoffs.
SSSCIP confirmed in an announcement on Monday that Ukraine’s cabinet appointed Dmytro Makovskyi as deputy head of the SSSCIP, citing an ongoing investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). NABU said in a press release that several members of SSSCIP’s senior leadership are accused of misappropriating and misappropriating over $62 million in government funds.
When asked for comment, Zhora told TechCrunch, “I have nothing to add to the SSSCIP statement at this time. I will defend my name and reputation in court.”
Shchyhol could not immediately be reached for comment.
Reuters reported for the first time the departures. SSSCIP did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is unclear whether the US cyber security agency CISA, a close partner of the Ukrainian government and SSSCIP, was aware of the firing or was notified in advance. When asked by email, CISA did not say or comment on the specific allegations.
CISA spokesman Scott McConnell said in an emailed statement: “Our partnership with the government of Ukraine remains strong, and we will continue to support efforts to strengthen the cybersecurity and resilience of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.”
US officials have long touted their close relationship with SSSCIP and Zhora in particular. Zhora and CISA director Jen Easterly signed a memorandum of understanding between the US and Ukrainian governments months after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Zhora was most recently in the US to deliver a keynote address at the Cyberwarcon cyber security conference. Earlier this year, Zhora and Easterly were they were interviewed together on stage at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas.
Updated with comment from CISA. Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai contributed reporting.
