Amid continued fighting in Ukraine’s east, another battle has come to a head in Kyiv with the dismissal of Security Chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko.<br /><br /> MPs supported President Petro Poroshenko’s request to fire the head of security services in a vote on Thursday.<br /><br /> He was appointed three months prior to President Poroshenko taking office, and was never seen to support him.<br /><br /> Poroshenko said he wasn’t fulfilling his obligations to fight corruption, but critics say it was a revenge for Nalyvaichenko’s attempts to eliminate the president’s allies. Commentators suggest Poroshenko will likely appoint someone loyal to head the security service.<br /><br /> A political analyst in Ukraine told euronews that the President is trying to establish his influence on different institutions.<br /><br /> At the same time, activists are trying to put pressure on the government to ensure the independence of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor from the President’s influence.
