Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Removes Two Top Officials Over Suspected Treason

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the dismissal of two top officials, claiming that many in their departments are suspected of treason.

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and Head of State Security Service Ivan Bakanov — a longtime friend of Zelenskyy — are the leaders who were suspended on Sunday.

Following Zelenskyy's announcement, the deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andrii Smyrnov, said on Ukrainian television Monday, per CNN, "For a long enough time, we have been waiting for more concrete and sufficiently radical results from the leaders of these two departments, to clean these two departments of collaborators and state traitors."

Smyrnov continued, "However, in the sixth month of the war, we continue to find ... packs of these people, in each of these departments."

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Zelenskyy, 44, addressed their removal in a video over the weekend, saying, "Today I made a decision to remove the Prosecutor General from office and to dismiss the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine."

He also added Ukraine had launched investigations against employees from the two departments over "treason and collaboration activities," according to the The New York Times.

The publication reported Zelenskyy explained the proceedings have posed "very serious questions to the relevant leadership" and that everyone who had "worked in the interests of the Russian Federation will also be held accountable."

During his TV appearance, Smyrnov shared, per CNN, that the suspensions of the two high-ranking officials were made to ensure they did not meddle with the investigations.

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On Monday, Zelenskyy announced Vasyl Maliuk will temporarily replace Bakanov while Oleksii Symonenko will take over Venediktova's position.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24 — which was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with forces moving from the north, south and east — marked the first significant land conflict in Europe in decades.

Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilian sites in its ongoing invasion, though footage and on-the-ground accounts suggest otherwise.

However, earlier this month — more than four months into its continued invasion of Ukraine — Putin, 69, declared his country had only just begun its fight.

"Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. What can you say, let them try," Putin said at the time. "We have heard many times that the West wants to fight us to the last Ukrainian. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it seems that everything is heading towards this."

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Elsewhere in his speech, Putin spoke with a hawkish tone but still left the door open for negotiations, saying: "Everyone should know that, by and large, we haven't even yet started in earnest. At the same time, we don't reject peace talks."

He did offer a caveat, however, saying that those who "reject" Russian offers "should know that the further it goes, the harder it will be for them to negotiate with us."

Putin also offered a thinly veiled threat at those who he said "want to defeat us" on the battlefield: "Let them try."

The invasion has drawn widespread condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia.

Various countries have also pledged aid or military support to Ukraine, whose president, Zelenskyy, has pleaded for peace talks while urging his country to resist.

Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the interest of so-called "peacekeeping" — a claim disputed by the west.

The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.