The Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk has suspended Ilya Vityuk, Head of the Department for Counterintelligence Protection of the State's Interests in the Field of Information Security, from his duties while the circumstances published by Slidstvo-Info journalists are being investigated. The SBU press service told Interfax-Ukraine.
"For the duration of the investigation into the circumstances published by Slidstvo-Info journalists, the head of the Service, Vasyl Malyuk, has suspended Vityuk, head of the Department for Counterintelligence Protection of the State's Interests in the Field of Information Security (DCIS), from his duties," the press service said.
The press service clarified that, according to the decision of the SBU Head, Vityuk will serve in a combat unit of the State Security Service of Ukraine, which performs defence tasks and destroys the Russians and their equipment directly at the front together with the Central Security Service "A".
"He is currently assigned to this unit and today he left for the area of combat operations," the press service said.
The SBU press service also added that the Security Service expresses its respect to the media and journalists for their effective joint work on the information front against Russian aggression.
Earlier, Slidstvo.info journalists published a story about the family's property of the head of the SBU's cybersecurity department, Ilya Vityuk.
Two days later, Slidstvo.info made another publication, saying that, in their opinion, TRC employees tried to serve the summons on the author of the investigation on the instructions of an employee of the SBU's Cyber Security Department.
The SBU press service previously stated that it was checking the information from Slidstvo.info about the incident together with the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
The Office of the Prosecutor General announced the opening of criminal proceedings over the incident with the journalist of the Slidstvo.info publication, with a summons served on him.
The Land Forces Command stated that an internal investigation is being conducted to establish all the circumstances of the incident. The official inspection was also ordered by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.