When 117 drones launched from trucks and soared deep into Russian territory on June 1st, Ukraine wasn’t just making headlines, it was rewriting the rulebook. No western weapons. No leaks. Just precision, courage, and a clear message: we’re not backing down. Behind the scenes of this daring operation was a man most Ukrainians know, but few fully understand: Vasyl Malyuk, the head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).
And yes, he called it a “slap in the face to Russia’s power.” Because that’s exactly what it was.
🥊 Meet Ukraine’s Bulldog
Vasyl Malyuk doesn’t look like a typical intelligence chief. Shaven head. The build of a heavyweight. The demeanor of someone who doesn’t waste words, or time. A former boxer and weightlifter, Malyuk is less about photo ops and more about results. But when he does appear, it’s deliberate. Like when he personally arrested a suspected double agent, Dmitry Kozyura, and held him by the scruff of the neck. The cameras were there, by design.
What he lacks in polish, he makes up for in focus. “He isn’t an intellectual,” one insider said, “but he’s not evil either. He just knows what must be done.”
💥 Under His Watch: Hits That Stunned the Kremlin
Since taking over from his predecessor in 2022, Malyuk has turned the once-leaky SBU into a strike force capable of changing the tempo of war. Highlights?
- Sea Baby marine drones, an SBU invention, pushed Russia’s Black Sea fleet back to its own ports.
- A string of sabotage ops across occupied territory.
- Operation Spiderweb, the drone offensive that likely destroyed dozens of Russian aircraft at four separate bases.
- A massive underwater blast hit the bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia, right after those drone strikes.
One senior officer put it simply:
“Hollywood is nervously smoking on the sidelines.”
🤫 The Spy Chief Who Hates the Spotlight
Despite the headlines, Malyuk is no media hound. That’s more Zelenskyy’s territory. Malyuk stays brief, focused, and out of the frame, even as he commands operations that change the battlefield.
Born in Korostyshiv, a small city west of Kyiv, he joined the SBU straight out of high school and built his way up through anti-corruption and organized crime units. In 2019, he gave President Zelenskyy a helicopter tour over illegal amber mines in Zhytomyr. Zelenskyy was so impressed he handed him full authority to clean it up.
After a brief political detour in early 2022, he returned to the SBU just in time for the full-scale Russian invasion. What he found was a compromised agency, infiltrated, demoralized, and distrusted. He made it personal to clean house.
Operation Spiderweb didn’t leak. That alone says everything.
🎮 New Tactics, New Generation
Insiders say Malyuk’s strength isn’t just execution, it’s delegation. He empowers young, risk-taking agents and cuts through bureaucratic crap. He’s focused on winning the war, not playing politics. In his world, loyalty is earned, and freedom of action comes with results.
One military journalist said it best:
“He promotes decisive, responsible leaders, some very young, and gives them real power. That’s rare in Ukraine’s system.”
🔥 And Putin Noticed
After Spiderweb and the bridge strike, Vladimir Putin made a rare move: he picked up the phone to call Donald Trump. Hours later, Russia unleashed a retaliatory barrage on Kyiv that killed four civilians.
So yes, Malyuk has Putin’s attention. But he’s not here for showdowns or speeches.
He’s here to win.
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