Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Oleksandr Kononenko as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SZR) in Kyiv during the 29 minutes ending at 8:45 PM UTC on January 2, 2026, according to 24 Канал. People's deputies reported plans for the possible resignation of Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) head Vasyl Malyuk, whose leadership oversaw operations including the Crimean bridge attack and neutralization of Russian agents, as stated by STERNENKO. Ukraine context expressed support for retaining Malyuk, noting the SBU's unprecedented strength under him. Ukraine context reported that Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is under consideration for Ukraine's Minister of Energy position, after serving less than half a year previously as head of the Ministry of Defense. In military developments, a UAV alert was issued at the Afipsky Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region, per LPR оповещения. Separately, Ukrainian forces ambushed a Russian group in northern Huljajpole after mortar fire, confirming ongoing Ukrainian presence despite Russian claims of capture, according to DeepStateUA and Playfra0 on X.
