The spy chief who led Ukraine’s most audacious behind-the-lines operations in its war with Russia has been forced to resign by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Vasyl Malyuk, who was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine last year, reportedly fought to stay in post as head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) but relented on Monday at a meeting with the president.

Announcing his resignation on the SBU’s official Telegram channel, Malyuk said he would remain in the agency to lead “world-class asymmetric special operations” against Russia.

He wrote: “I am leaving my post as head of the Security Service. I will stay in the system to carry out operations that continue to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. A strong, modern intelligence service is key to our state’s security.”

Zelenskyy said that Malyuk, who was responsible for last year’s daring destruction of Russia’s strategic bombers, known as Operation Spiderweb, would be reassigned to overseeing unconventional warfare.

He said: “I had a meeting with Vasyl Maliuk. I thanked him for his combat service and proposed that he focus on this line of work specifically.

“There must be more Ukrainian asymmetric operations against the occupier and the Russian state and more solid results in eliminating the enemy.

“This is where Vasyl is at his strongest, and this is exactly what he will continue to do within the Security Service of Ukraine.”

Malyuk was lauded last June when a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles emerging from lorries struck strategic bombers on airfields deep inside Russia, causing an estimated $7bn in damage.

His agency has also been credited with a series of assassinations of senior members of Russia’s military command.

He had reportedly refused to stand down after a meeting with Zelenskyy on Saturday, prompting a range of voices, including the commander of Ukraine’s drone operations to call for his retention.

It was argued that Malyuk’s removal would make Ukraine’s security services less effective. He reportedly rejected offers of a new role within the Foreign Intelligence Service or the National Security and Defense Council, which coordinates Ukraine’s security efforts with the president’s office.

There remains confusion as to why Zelenskyy wanted Malyuk’s removal. The president has claimed that he needs fresh faces around him after four years of war.

The Ukrainska Pravda newspaper, which boasts of sources close to Malyuk, reported that the spy chief’s dismissal was an act of revenge orchestrated by Andriy Yermak, the president’s former chief of staff.

Yermak’s apartment was searched as part of an anti-corruption operation in November. He subsequently resigned, although he was never formally accused of wrongdoing.

Others within the government believe that Zelenskyy has an eye on the next presidential election and is keen to clear the decks of prominent and popular figures.

Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who had been talked up as a possible successor to Zelenskyy, was dismissed from his position as head of Ukraine’s army in 2024.

He was appointed as ambassador to the UK where he has kept a low profile.

Malyuk has been temporarily replaced by Maj Gen Yevhen Khmara, who was head of the SBU’s elite Alpha special operations unit.