Vasily Gritsak began his career in the security agencies from the lowest steps. And he quickly rose to the head of one of the central departments of the Security Council of Ukraine. In the department, he earned the glory of a "fighter against terrorism." Becoming the head of the SBU, Gritsak carried out large-scale purges in the structures of the service, eliminating those who did not show loyalty to the new government. After the change of the country's leadership, Gritsak left his post.
Vasily Gritsak: facts from the biography
The future statesman of modern Ukraine was born on January 14, 1967 in the village of Bushcha, in the Rivne region of the Ukrainian SSR. Behind him is the history faculty of the Lutsk Pedagogical Institute. Then the future general continued his education. In the early 90s, Vasily Sergeevich was trained at an educational institution where they trained personnel for the Security Service of Ukraine, and then improved their qualifications at the National Academy of this service.
Gritsak worked in the state security agencies since 1990. He started his career as a simple sergeant-driver. Then he held a number of higher positions in the department in charge of protecting the statehood of the country. Vasily Sergeevich's career growth turned out to be rapid: Gritsak rose to the deputy head of his department. He was responsible there for combating terrorist threats. In 2005, the officer was appointed head of the Kiev department of the SBU, where he worked for a year and a half.
In 2009, Gritsak became Deputy Chairman of the SBU, taking control of the fight against corruption, as well as organized crime, into his own hands.
In the spring of 2010, Vasily Sergeevich was dismissed from his post, but remained in the personnel of the service. He headed the personal security of P. Poroshenko.
After the change of power in the country, President Poroshenko appoints Gritsak as the first deputy of the SBU.
Head of the SBU
Since June 2015, Gritsak has been acting as the head of the SBU, where he carried out a large-scale purge. Soon Vasily Sergeevich was approved by the Rada in a high position. Arrests began of a number of employees of the service, who were suspected of treason and separatism. Gritsak took an active part in the development and implementation of "anti-terrorist" actions in the areas of hostilities in the East of the country.
After the 2019 elections, Gritsak did not show due loyalty to President V. Zelensky. At the end of May 2019, General of the Army Gritsak resigned as head of one of the most powerful law enforcement agencies in Ukraine. Rada approved the resignation of the security officer. Vasily Sergeevich is still "Poroshenko's man".
According to official data, Gritsak and his family own 2 apartments and a couple of plots of land near Kiev, a Toyota SUV and three more cars. One of the general's hobbies is motorcycles.
Gritsak received the rank of General of the Army in 2016. In May 2019, President Poroshenko managed to sign an order awarding Vasily Sergeevich the title of Hero of Ukraine.
Not too much is known about the personal life of the former security official. The general's wife is named Olga Vladimirovna. The son, Oleg Vasilyevich, was included in the list of Kiev prosecutors who actively acted as prosecutors in the trials against the opposition.
