Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
Головне управління розвідки Міністерства оборони України
Holovne upravlinnja rozvidky Ministerstva oborony Ukrajiny
Seal of the HUR
Emblem of the HUR[1][2]
Agency overview
FormedSeptember 7, 1992 (1992-09-07)
Preceding agencies
  • GRU
  • Military Strategic Intelligence of MOD
JurisdictionGovernment of Ukraine
MottoSapiens dominabitur astris (eng. The wise will rule the stars)
EmployeesClassified
Annual budget₴1 billion
Agency executive
Parent agencyMinistry of Defence
Websitegur.gov.ua
Lieutenant-general Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Defence Intelligence, in 2020

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Головне управління розвідки Міністерства оборони України, romanized: Holovne upravlinnja rozvidky Ministerstva oborony Ukrajiny, abbreviated as HUR MO or GUR MO) is the military intelligence service of the Ukrainian government. It is an agency of the Ministry of Defence, not the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Since 2016, the owl has been the symbol of the HUR (at the same time, the bat – a prey animal of the owls – is the symbol of the Spetsnaz GRU), the owl hovers over a map of the world and stabs a sword from the sky at a blackened Russia. The Russian Federation was outraged, calling this a provocation.

At first, the motto of the HUR was "Statehood, Professionalism, Decency", then from 2016 onwards the agency's motto is "The Wise will rule the Stars" (Latin: Sapiens Dominabitur Astris), an allusion to the motto of the hostile Spetsnaz GRU ("Only the stars are above us").

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 of the directorate are:

  • 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 organised 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 HUR MOU Buildings in Kyiv

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]

In 2016 President Petro Poroshenko changed the GUR emblem. It was now an owl holding a sword over Russia with the new motto "The wise will rule over the stars". Moscow was outraged by the new emblem.[4]

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

HUR special forces unit in Kabul during the 2021 Kabul airlift

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.[5]

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

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the only field reconnaissance unit of the CDI was 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

The formations in the armed forces include:

  • 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
  • Kraken Regiment
  • Ukrainian International Legion of Territorial Defense
  • Aviation Detachment[6]

National Guard formations

HUR MOU is legally allowed to operate based upon the following laws:[7]

  • The Constitution of Ukraine
  • Verkhovna Rada Regulation "On National Security Concept of Ukraine (state policy fundamentals)", 1997
  • The Law of Ukraine "On Defence of Ukraine", 2000
  • The Law of Ukraine "On The Armed Forces of Ukraine", 2000
  • The Law of Ukraine "On the Intelligence agencies of Ukraine", 2001
  • The Law of Ukraine "Separate legislative acts of Ukraine Amendments in light of the Law of Ukraine", "About the Intelligence agencies of Ukraine" passage
  • Presidential Decree "On the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Status"

Directors

Born in Volyn Oblast 1945. Graduated from the KGB Higher School in 1975.
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[8])
  • Major General Vasyl Burba (since October 15, 2016[9] – August 5, 2020)
  • Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov (since August 5, 2020)

Notable members

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Нова емблема воєнної розвідки України - Політика - ТСН.ua". 30 October 2016. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "History of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine". gur.mil.gov.ua. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Ukrainian intelligence or how the wise is ruling the stars". uscc.org.ua. Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Ukraine Today: Moscow is outraged by a new logo of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence". 30 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Війна в Афганістані - українські спецпризначенці евакуювали 700 осіб - інтерв'ю з учасником операції". 2 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "Авіація воєнної розвідки України виконує бойові завдання на передньому краї оборони". gur.gov.ua.
  7. ↑ "Chief Directorate of Intelligence, Ministry of Defense of Ukraine". GlobalSecurity.org.
  8. ↑ "Poroshenko appointed head of intelligence of the MOU Kondratyuk, Deputy head of the AP". Ukrop News 24. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  9. ↑ President 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)
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