Ukraine detains Victor Zhora, former top government cyber official

Last week, the Ukrainian government fired two of its top cybersecurity officials, who are accused of embezzlement. Now, one of them has been detained.

Ukraine’s senior cabinet official Taras Melnychuk announced the firings in a public post on Telegram last week. The two officials are Yurii Shchyhol, head of Ukraine’s State Special Communications Service of Ukraine, or SSSCIP, and his deputy Victor Zhora, who had become a staple at international conferences as the public face of Ukraine’s cybersecurity defenders.

On Monday, the High Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine announced in a press release that a judge had ordered the detention of Zhora as a preventative measure, and that he had been taken into custody, according to a machine translation.

The press release said that the detention will last until January 22, 2024, and imposed a bail of 10,000,584 Ukrainian hryvnia, roughly $275,000.

Zhora previously told TechCrunch, shortly after the charges were announced, that he would “defend my name and reputation in a court.”

The SSSCIP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Friday, Zhora tweeted that it was his last day working for SSSCIP.

“Thank you all for your support of our Service and our fight with enemy in cyberspace. Hope my successor will continue supporting all initiatives and international cooperation. Look forward to get back to you soon in my new mission,” he wrote.

On Tuesday, Zhora told TechCrunch that he had left the jail and he was now “out.”

UPDATE, Nov. 28, 2:08 p.m. ET: This story was updated to include the fact that Zhora says he is now out on bail.

Ukraine fires top cybersecurity officials