Zelensky appointed acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine: who is General Yevhenii Khmara.

According to ТСН: President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Yevhenii Khmara as the acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine after the resignation of Vasyl Maliuk. The corresponding decree was published on the official website of the president.

What is known about Yevhenii Khmara

Yevhenii Khmara is an experienced special forces officer, about whom there is not much information in the public domain. He has served in the A Operational Center of the Security Service since 2011.

On August 24, 2023, Khmara was awarded the rank of brigadier general, and in 2024 he became a major general. On August 25, 2025, President Zelensky appointed him head of the A Operational Center of the Security Service.

Major General Khmara has been awarded numerous honors, including being a holder of the Bohdan Khmelnytsky Order (I-III degree) and received the Order for Courage of the III degree and the President of Ukraine's award, the Cross of Military Merit.

In which operations did Yevhenii Khmara participate

At the beginning of the full-scale war, Khmara participated in the defense of the capital and the liberation of Kyiv region, as well as fought in Donetsk region.

Among the operations in which he and his subordinates were involved, it is worth mentioning the liberation of Zmiinyi Island in June 2022.

“The liberation of Zmiinyi is one of the landmark victories over the enemy. Not only military but also economic and psychological. It allowed for the unblocking of the Black Sea. It was an honor for the fighters of the A Operational Center of the Security Service to participate in this special operation and to carry it out with dignity,” Khmara said in one of his rare interviews in 2023.

The general also mentioned successful operations, in particular, a strike on a Russian Ministry of Defense warehouse in Toropets on September 18, 2024.

“When everything flew, everything worked, all the people returned alive, they are not going to sleep yet and we get the first information - 'we have a detonation.' And they were like: well, that’s it, now we can rest. You know, such things are inspiring,” the general recounted.

What is known about the A Operational Center headed by Khmara

The A Operational Center of the Security Service consistently ranks among the top three most effective units of the Defense Forces in terms of the amount of enemy equipment and personnel destroyed using drones. In total, the A Operational Center has accounted for over $5.5 billion worth of 'eliminated' enemy equipment: tanks, armored vehicles, air defense systems, electronic warfare systems, and other equipment. This is not including losses during the Security Service's special operation 'Web,' in which drone operators from the A Operational Center participated.

As of January 1, 2026, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Security Service has destroyed 2,194 Russian tanks, of which 1,805 are credited to the A Operational Center. The special forces of 'A' have also knocked out 3,267 armored combat vehicles, 3,468 artillery systems, 540 air defense systems, 454 electronic warfare systems, and other enemy equipment and personnel.

Moreover, the fighters of the A Operational Center of the Security Service conduct unique special operations targeting military objects deep in the rear of Russia - airfields, warehouses, and arsenals of weapons, oil processing plants, factories producing munitions and drones, as well as working on other significant targets.

The appointment of Yevhenii Khmara to the new position indicates a further intensification of the Security Service's work in response to the challenges of the full-scale war. His experience and successful operations at the front may significantly enhance the effectiveness of the service in combating the aggressor.

In the context of changing the management hierarchy in the Security Service, it is important that the new head is able to maintain and increase the positive dynamics in fulfilling the tasks facing the protection of Ukraine’s national security.