President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) head Vasyl Malyuk on January 5, 2026, over the past hour, thanking him for combat work, directing him to prioritize asymmetric operations against Russia, and discussing candidates for a new SBU head, according to Zelenskyy's X post. Zelenskyy stated he suggested Malyuk concentrate on combat efforts, noting, “There should be more Ukrainian asymmetric operations against the occupier and the Russian state,” and instructed him to make this direction the strongest in the world with available resources and political support, as quoted in the post timestamped within the 12:16 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. UTC window. Journalist Illia Ponomarenko reported on X that Malyuk, a key architect of Operation Spiderweb, has been removed from his position as SBU head, according to his post in the same period. This follows presidential advisor Dmytro Lytvyn's earlier confirmation that Colonel Yevhen Khmara would serve as acting SBU head after Malyuk's resignation, as reported before 12:16 p.m. UTC. Separately, a missile danger alert was declared in Russia's Kursk region, according to the Telegram channel Типичный Курск during the reporting window. In Ukraine's Chernihiv Oblast, pyrotechnics from the State Emergency Service neutralized the warhead of a Russian Iskander-K missile in Prylutsky district, as stated by Суспільне Чернігів.
