President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Rustem Umerov as head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, known as the SZR, so that Umerov can continue representing Ukraine in peace negotiations. Roman Kostenko, a representative of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, gave this explanation to LIGA.net.
Kostenko said the goal was to leave Umerov with some state position so the president could send him to negotiations or assign him tasks, and to remove him from the National Security and Defense Council to free up a seat for Igor Klymenko.
Other lawmakers LIGA.net spoke with share that view. According to LIGA.net, four members of parliament who were interviewed believe Zelensky was looking for a way to legitimize Umerov's role in the negotiation process, which required giving him a senior state post.
Why the SZR raised questions
The choice of the Foreign Intelligence Service specifically drew the most questions from those LIGA.net spoke with. LIGA.net has previously reported that Umerov remains a key negotiator not because he is widely seen as the best state manager, but because he holds the president's trust, has valuable international contacts and negotiating experience.
Kostenko was critical of the choice of the SZR as Umerov's new post, describing it as effectively Ukraine's version of the CIA.
Umerov's career and a management concern
Umerov served as a member of parliament for the Holos party from 2019 to 2022, headed the State Property Fund from 2022 to 2023, served as defense minister from 2023 to 2025, and had been secretary of the National Security and Defense Council since July 2025. After Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, he joined Ukraine's negotiating team and represented the country in talks with Russia and international partners.
Kostenko said he feared Umerov might bring his management approach to the SZR. He said he knew how Umerov's team operates: they come in, bring in all their own people, and run things their own way, adding that this was not something he wanted.
Other appointments the same day
On August 3, Zelensky appointed Umerov head of the Foreign Intelligence Service and named Igor Klymenko as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. The same day, the president dismissed Olga Stefanishina from her post as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States.
