Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine ( uk, Головне управління розвідки Міністерства оборони України, translit=Holovne upravlinnia rozvidky Ministerstva oborony Ukrainy), also known as HUR MO () or alternatively spelled GUR is the military intelligence service of the Ukrainian government. It is a subdivision of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, not the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was built upon the existing intelligence assets of the Kyiv, Odesa and Carpathian military districts of the Soviet Armed Forces and its Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

The agency's former motto was "Statehood, professionalism, decency". Since 2016, the agency uses the motto "The Wise will rule the Stars" ( la, Sapiens Dominabitur Astris).

Spheres of activity

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

The major missions:
* Obtaining, analyzing and dissemination of the intelligence information to the senior civil and military authorities of Ukraine.
* Performing special tasks in order to promote the National interests and State policy of Ukraine in economic, political, military, technical, environmental and informational areas, contributing to the national defence, fostering the economic development, promoting science and technology, and protecting the State border.
* Participating in operations against terrorism, international organized crime, drug, arms and technologies trafficking, and illegal migration.
* Counteracting the external threats that can affect the National security of Ukraine, lives and health of its citizens and the state facilities abroad.

History

The Intelligence Directorate of the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in February 1992. Based on a presidential decree issued on September 7, 1992, the Strategic Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine was created. This, however, raised conerns of two agencies that had different command structures and having the same responsibilities.

On July 6, 1993, the Decree of the President of Ukraine ordered the merging of the Intelligence Directorate of the General Headquarters and the Strategic Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine into the Main Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

The Main Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine was renamed into the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) on April 4, 1994.

In 2016 President Petro Poroshenko changed the emblem of Ukraine military intelligence. It was now an owl holding a sword directed against Russia with the new motto "The wise will rule over the stars". Moscow was outraged by a new emblem.

On March 22, 2001, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the Law of Ukraine “On Intelligence Agencies of Ukraine”. The HUR MOU was given the status of special government authority.

Organization

The HUR has an executive office and several agency-wide functions, and five major directorates and departments consisting of the following:

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

Formations of the CDI-MDU

The only field reconnaissance unit of the CDI is a special unit subordinated to the Directorate's 4th Special Intelligence Service (''4-та Служба спеціальної розвідки''):

* 10th Separate Special Purpose Unit (''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'')

Formations reporting to the CDI but are operationally part of the Armed Forces and the National Guard include:

Armed Forces formations

* 10th Special Detachment
* 49th Reconnaissance Battalion (Training)
* 54th Reconnaissance Battalion
* 74th Reconnaissance Battalion
* 129th Reconnaissance Battalion
* 140th Reconnaissance Battalion
* 143rd Reconnaissance Battalion
* 130th Reconnaissance Battalion
* 131st Reconnaissance Battalion

National Guard formations

* Special Forces Anti-terrorism Detachment "Omega", Novi Petrivtsi
* Special Forces Detachment "Vega", Lviv
* Special Forces Intelligence Detachment "Ares", Kharkiv

Legal basis

HUR MOU is legally allowed to operate based upon the following laws:

* The Constitution of Ukraine;
* Verkhovna Rada Regulation On National Security Concept of Ukraine (state policy fundamentals);
* The Law of Ukraine On Defense of Ukraine;
* The Law of Ukraine On The Armed Forces of Ukraine;
* The Law of Ukraine On the Intelligence agencies of Ukraine;
* The Law of Ukraine "Separate legislative acts of Ukraine Amendments in light of the Law of Ukraine " About the Intelligence agencies of Ukraine" passage;
* Decree of President of Ukraine On the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Status.

Directors

*Lieutenant General Oleksandr Skipalsky (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 Defense 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 Galaka (March 13, 2003 - January 17, 2008)
:Born in Kharkiv 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 Odessa 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 Valery Kondratyuk (July 28, 2015 - October 15, 2016)
*Major General Vasyl Burba (since October 15, 2016President presents new chief of military intel
UNIAN (25 October 2016)
Poroshenko: New intel chief to give fresh impetus to military intelligence in Ukraine
Interfax-Ukraine (25 October 2016) - August 5, 2020)
* Major General Kyrylo Budanov (since August 5, 2020)

Notable members

*Maksym Shapoval

See also

* Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine
* Security Service of Ukraine

References

External links

Defence Intelligence of Ukraine

{{Ukraine topics

Military intelligence agencies
Ministry of Defence (Ukraine)
Ukrainian intelligence agencies