Main Directorate of Intelligence (Ukraine)

The agency was established from the existing intelligence assets of the Kyiv, Odesa and Carpathian military districts^[2] of the Soviet Armed Forces and its Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the independence of Ukraine.

The Intelligence Directorate of the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was established in February 1992. Based on a presidential decree issued on September 7, 1992, the Strategic Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence was created. The existence of two separate agencies with similar responsibilities, and reporting to different authorities, hampered the development of an effective military intelligence system.^[2][3]

On July 6, 1993, the Decree of the President of Ukraine ordered the merging of the two agencies to form the Main Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence. It was renamed the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, or Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) for short, on April 4, 1994.^[3][2]

On March 22, 2001, the Ukrainian parliament (Rada) ratified the Law of Ukraine "On Intelligence Agencies of Ukraine". The HUR was given the status of special government authority.^[2]

On August 18, 2021, HUR special forces moved on Il-76MDs from the 25th Transport Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force and flew to Kabul with the mission of evacuating citizens of Ukraine and foreigners during the 2021 Kabul airlift. In total, the aircraft of the brigade made six flights and transported more than 700 citizens of different countries. Special forces went to Kabul three times a day to find and bring citizens who were to be evacuated to the Kabul airport.^[4]

On September 20, 2023, CNN reported^[5] that Ukrainian special forces were likely behind multiple attacks on Wagner-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forces in Sudan, using DJI Mavic 3 first-person view (FPV) drones. In May 2023, HUR Chief Kyrylo Budanov vowed^[6] to “destroy Russian war criminals anywhere in the world, wherever they are.” In March 2024, reports confirmed that HUR operators from the "Timur" unit were actively fighting Wagner and RSF in Sudan.^[7][8]

In 2016, the HUR emblem was changed to an illustration of an owl plunging a sword into Russia. The owl has been said to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to the emblem of the Spetsnaz special forces of the Russian GRU, which depicts a bat - a natural prey of the owl.^{[9][citation needed]} In addition, the motto "The wise will rule over the stars" (Latin: Sapiens Dominabitur Astris) ostensibly alludes to the GRU's motto "Only the stars are above us" (Russian: Выше нас только звёзды, romanized: Vyshe nas tolko zvyozdy). The new emblem was met with outrage from Russian journalists and politicians, including Dmitry Rogozin, and with some calling it a provocation.^[10]

The Main Directorate of Intelligence conducts its activity in the military, political, technical, economic, signals, informational and environmental spheres.

The major missions of the directorate are:^[11]

• Extracting, analyzing, processing and disseminating information in accordance with the law "On Intelligence"^[12]
• Conducting measures aimed at promoting the realization of the national interests of Ukraine
• Identifying external threats to the national security of Ukraine, and conducting measures against such threats
• Participating in the fight against terrorism and other criminal activities that pose a threat to the national security of Ukraine
• Cooperating with foreign intelligence bodies
• Carrying out other activities defined by law to ensure the national security of Ukraine

The HUR has an executive office and several agency-wide functions, and five major directorates and departments consisting of the following:^{[citation needed]}

Directorates:

• Strategic Intelligence Directorate
• Armed Forces General Staff Intelligence Support Directorate
• Information Support Directorate
• Personnel Policy Directorate
• Logistic Directorate

Departments:

• Internal Security Department
• Planning Department
• Automation and Communication Department
• Economic and Finance Department
• Information and state secret protection Department

Combat formations

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the only field reconnaissance unit of the HUR was a special unit subordinated to the Directorate's 4th Special Intelligence Service (4-та Служба спеціальної розвідки):^{[citation needed]}

• 10th Separate Special Purpose Unit [uk] (10-й окремий загін спеціального призначення, Military Unit А2245), based in Rybalskyi Peninsula, Kyiv
  • 3 operational companies – 1st – 3rd Special Purpose Company (1 – 3 сотня спеціального призначення)

As of 2024, the units subordinate to the HUR include:

Reconnaissance units:

• 49th Reconnaissance Training Center [uk]^[13]
• 54th Reconnaissance Battalion [uk]^[14]
• 74th Reconnaissance Battalion [uk]^[15]
• 120th Reconnaissance Regiment^[16]
• 129th Reconnaissance Battalion [uk]
• 130th Reconnaissance Battalion [uk]^[17]
• 131st Reconnaissance Battalion [uk]^[18]
• 132nd Reconnaissance Battalion [uk]^[19]
• 140th Reconnaissance Battalion [uk]^[20]
• 143rd Reconnaissance Battalion

Special purpose units:

• 10th Special Purpose Unit "Shaman Battalion" [uk]^[21][22]

• Special Purpose Unit "Kraken"^[23]
• Special Purpose Unit "Artan” [uk]^[24]
• Special Purpose Unit "Timur"^[25]
  • "Brotherhood" Battalion [uk]^[26]
  • "Stuhna" Battalion [uk]^[27]
  • Volunteer Reconnaissance Battalion "Sonechko"^[28][29]
  • "Nobody" Unit^[30]
  • "Paragon Company" Unit^[31]
• Special Purpose Unit "KABUL 9" [uk]^[32]
• Special Purpose UAV Unit "Wings" [uk]^[33]
• Special Purpose USV Unit "Group 13"^[34][35]
• International Legion of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine [uk] (part of the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine)^[36]

The Main Directorate of Intelligence is legally allowed to operate based upon the following documents:^[37]

• The Constitution of Ukraine
• Law of Ukraine "On the National Security of Ukraine", 1991
• Law of Ukraine "On the Defense of Ukraine", 2018
• Law of Ukraine "On Intelligence", 2020
• Law of Ukraine "On Military Duty and Military Service", 1992
• Law of Ukraine "On Central Bodies of Executive Power", 2011
• Law of Ukraine "On Civil Service", 2015
• Law of Ukraine "On International Treaties of Ukraine", 2004
• Law of Ukraine "On the Fight Against Terrorism", 2003
• Law of Ukraine "On Counter-Intelligence Activities", 2002
• Law of Ukraine "On Operational and Investigative Activities", 1992
• Law of Ukraine "On State Secrets", 1994
• Law of Ukraine "On the Social and Legal Protection of Servicemen and Their Families", 1991
• Presidential Decree "On the National Security Strategy of Ukraine", 2020
• Presidential Decree "On the Military Security Strategy of Ukraine", 2021
• Presidential Decree "On Additional Measures to Further Democratize Society and Strengthen Civil Control Over the Activities of Law Enforcement and Intelligence Agencies of Ukraine", 2004
• Presidential Decree "On Ensuring Control over the Activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Other Military Formations", 2010
• Presidential Decree "On Strengthening Control over the Activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Other Military Formations", 2015
• Presidential Decree "On the Inter-Agency Commission on the Policy of Military-Technical Cooperation and Export Control", 2007
• Presidential Decree "On Certain Issues of Leadership in the Spheres of National Security and Defense", 2008
• Presidential Decree "On the Regulation of Military Service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine by Citizens of Ukraine", 2008

• Lieutenant General Oleksandr Skipalskyi (October 16, 1992 – June 9, 1997)

Born in Volyn Oblast 1945. Graduated from the KGB Higher School in 1975.

• Colonel General Ihor Smeshko (June 9, 1997 – September 29, 2000)

Born in Cherkasy Oblast 1955. Graduated from PhD from the National Academy of Defence in 2000.

• Colonel General Viktor Paliy (September 29, 2000 – March 13, 2003)

Born in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 1949. Graduated from the Military Academy of General Staff of USSR Armed Forces in 1988.

• Colonel (ret.) Oleksandr Halaka (March 13, 2003 – January 17, 2008)

Born in Kharkiv 1955. Graduated from the Military Academy of Ground Forces Air-Defence in 1987 and the Kyiv University in 2000.

• Lieutenant General Viktor Hvozd (January 17, 2008 – August 17, 2010)

Born in Ternopil Oblast 1959. Graduated from the Frunze Military College (Kyiv, 1981), Lviv University (1997), Magistrate of Kyiv University of Law and Economics (2005), Military-Diplomatic Academy (2009).

• Major General Serhiy Hmyza (August 17, 2010 – February 26, 2014)

Born in Odesa Oblast 1960. Graduated Military College in 1981, the Military-Diplomatic Academy in 1991, Ukrainian State University in 2008.

• Major General Yuriy Pavlov (since March 3, 2014 – July 28, 2015)

Born in Lviv Oblast 1962.

• Lieutenant General Valeriy Kondratyuk (July 28, 2015 – October 15, 2016^[38])
• Major General Vasyl Burba (since October 15, 2016^[39] – August 5, 2020)
• Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov (since August 5, 2020)

• Maksym Shapoval †
• Andriy Yusov, the head of public relations

• Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine
• Security Service of Ukraine
• Other military intelligence agencies
  • Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye (GRU – Russian Military Intelligence)
  • Direction du Renseignement Militaire (France)
  • Defence Intelligence Agency (India)
  • Strategic Intelligence Agency (Indonesia)
  • Military Intelligence and Security Service (Netherlands)
  • Defence Intelligence and the Intelligence Corps (UK)
  • Defense Intelligence Agency (US)

• Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, gov.ua