Ukraine fires top cybersecurity officials

The Ukrainian authorities has fired 2 of its astir elder cybersecurity officials pursuing accusations of alleged embezzlement.

Yurii Shchyhol, caput of Ukraine’s Ukraine’s State Special Communications Service of Ukraine, aliases SSSCIP, and his lawman Victor Zhora (pictured), who served arsenic lawman president and main integer translator serviceman astatine SSSCIP, were some dismissed by nan government, according to elder furniture charismatic Taras Melnychuk in a nationalist station connected Telegram.

Melnychuk did not springiness a logic for nan dismissals.

SSSCIP confirmed successful a statement connected Monday that Ukraine’s furniture had appointed Dmytro Makovskyi arsenic nan acting caput of SSSCIP, citing an ongoing investigation by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). NABU said in a property release  that respective members of elder SSSCIP activity are accused of misusing and embezzling much than $62 cardinal successful authorities funds.

When reached for comment, Zhora told TechCrunch: “I person thing to adhd to SSSCIP connection astatine nan moment. I will take sides my sanction and estimation successful a court.”

Shchyhol could not beryllium instantly reached for comment.

Reuters first reported nan departures. SSSCIP did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. It’s not clear whether U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA, a adjacent partner of nan Ukrainian authorities and SSSCIP, was alert of nan firing aliases fixed anterior notice. A CISA spokesperson did not respond astatine nan clip of writing.

U.S. officials person agelong touted their adjacent narration pinch SSSCIP and Zhora, successful particular. Zhora and CISA head Jen Easterly signed a memorandum of knowing betwixt nan U.S. and Ukrainian governments months aft Russia’s unprovoked penetration of Ukraine.

Zhora was astir precocious successful nan U.S. to springiness a keynote reside astatine cybersecurity convention Cyberwarcon. Earlier this year, Zhora and Easterly were interviewed together connected shape astatine nan Black Hat information conference successful Las Vegas.

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai contributed reporting.