Ukraine security chief dismissed

Amid continued fighting in Ukraine’s east, another battle has come to a head in Kyiv with the dismissal of Security Chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko.

MPs supported President Petro Poroshenko’s request to fire the head of security services in a vote on Thursday.

He was appointed three months prior to President Poroshenko taking office, and was never seen to support him.

Poroshenko said he wasn’t fulfilling his obligations to fight corruption, but critics say it was a revenge for Nalyvaichenko’s attempts to eliminate the president’s allies. Commentators suggest Poroshenko will likely appoint someone loyal to head the security service.

A political analyst in Ukraine told euronews that the President is trying to establish his influence on different institutions.

At the same time, activists are trying to put pressure on the government to ensure the independence of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor from the President’s influence.