Ukrainian Parliament dismisses MP Maryana Bezuhla from National Security Committee

The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) has dismissed MP Mariana Bezuhla from the post of Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence.

Source: MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak on Telegram; Bezuhla on Facebook

Quote from Zhelezniak: "The parliament dismissed Mariana Bezuhla from the post of deputy [chairman] of the Defence Committee and even a member of the committee. There were 252 votes in favour of this decision."

Details: He also said that the MP "was transferred to the [Parliamentary] Committee on Foreign Policy".

Bezuhla said she had worked in the National Security, Defence and Intelligence Committee for 5 years and that "more than half of the bills adopted by the Committee" were her ideas.

She also stated that she had decided to move to the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation in order to "expand activities" and "show the truth to everyone ".

"Our entrenched, corrupt military 'soviet-style' system cannot be overcome without real development of cooperation with partners. Besides their internal political squabbles, there are several objective reasons why our aid is being so carefully rationed: the military system is not trusted...

 It is impossible to manage this purely through internal forces — not just due to a lack of weapons, but also due to the inability to rebuild the system. So I will show the truth to everyone: to partners, to the world, to those who help us, and I will ask for help," the MP said.

Judging by her post, Bezuhla plans to focus on "reform in the special services," in particular, the Security Service of Ukraine; changes in the military justice system based on international experience, as well as "a number of fundamental issues that need to be resolved within the framework of international cooperation".

"I dedicate every moment of my life to the struggle, and now this struggle will not only continue but will also take on an international dimension. Additionally, all my posts will now have an English version...  P.S. I retain my security clearance and access to state secrets, of course," the MP stressed.

Background:

• On 5 January 2024, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence recommended that MP Mariana Bezuhla be removed from her position as Deputy Chair of the Committee.
• On 10 January, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk ended the parliamentary session early after a group of MPs blocked the rostrum demanding that the issue of Bezuhla's dismissal be put on the agenda. He stated that Bezuhla would be dismissed from her position as deputy head of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence only after a decision by the conciliation board of parliamentary factions and groups.
• On 5 July, MP Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, said he would file a complaint against Bezuhla with the State Bureau of Investigation, as he believed she had disclosed information from a closed meeting of the committee.
• On 17 July, Bezuhla resigned from the Servant of the People faction.
• On 17 September, the MP submitted a letter of resignation from her position as deputy chair of the Defence Committee and asked to be transferred to the Foreign Policy Committee.

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