Parliament should appoint SBU and HUR heads to end conflicts, says Chervinsky

Former Ukrainian counterintelligence officer Roman Chervinsky has proposed that parliament, not the president, should appoint the heads of the SBU and HUR to prevent conflicts between the security agencies. He argues this would stop the use of these structures for private interests. Chervinsky stated that Europe demands removing the president's power to appoint these officials, suggesting parliamentary appointment would ensure accountability to the legislature rather than a single individual. He acknowledged the current pro-presidential majority in parliament but noted that historically all Ukrainian presidents have sought to use security forces for their own purposes. The proposal comes amid a recent armed clash between SBU and HUR officers in Kyiv on September 2, involving the detention of Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander Stepan Kaplyunov. President Zelenskyy called the incident disgraceful and announced the dismissal of deputy heads from both agencies.