Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

History

The agency was established from the existing intelligence assets of the Kyiv, Odesa and Carpathian military districts 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 7 September 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.

On 6 July 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 4 April 1994.

On 22 March 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.

On 18 August 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.

In the February of 2022, the ongoing conflict of Ukraine escalated to a full-scale war, leading to Russia's invasion on the 24th of the month. The DIU played an indirect role in events surrounding this invasion by issuing pre-invasion warnings, strengthening defence by coordinating western allies, carrying out covert missions, and influencing the leadership of Ukraine to respond decisively. The DIU prevented the fall of the Ukrainian cities by providing defence over Kyiv and launching counter attacks in Kharkiv.

On 20 September 2023, CNN reported that Ukrainian special forces were likely behind multiple attacks on Wagner-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forces in Sudan, using DJI Mavic 3 and first-person view (FPV) drones. In May 2023, HUR Chief Kyrylo Budanov vowed 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.

On 30 January 2024, the DIU received a Snatch Land Rover SUV for its personnel from volunteers of the British-Ukrainian society "Driving Ukraine".

On 2 May 2025, a Ukrainian HUR MAGURA V5 naval drone shot down a Russian Su-30 using a R-73 missile, 50 km west of Novorossiysk. The crew of two ended up in the Black Sea, where a civilian ship later recovered them. HUR claimed it was the first time a maritime drone shot down an aircraft.

In April 2026, HUR announced that it had performed two space-launch capability tests during the period under Budanov's leadership, with the first test reaching an altitude of 100 km, and the second launch reaching 204 km.

In June 2026 Forbes reported that following Russia's 2014 invasion began close cooperation with the Central Intelligence Agency, which helped reform the institution weakened by corruption, Russian infiltration and its Soviet-era legacy. The cooperation is reported to be ongoing as of mid-2026, with Ukraine providing its US counterpart with insights into Russia.

Emblem

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. 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 звeзды, romanized: Vyshe nas tolko zvyezdy). The new emblem was met with outrage from Russian journalists and politicians, including Dmitry Rogozin, and with some calling it a provocation.

Spheres of activity

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:

Extracting, analyzing, processing and disseminating information in accordance with the law "On Intelligence"

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

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

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):

10th Separate Special Purpose Unit (10-й окремий загін спеціального призначення, MUN A2245), based in Rybalskyi Peninsula, Kyiv

Battalion HHC

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 subordinated to Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU):

23rd Reconnaissance Battalion

49th Reconnaissance Training Center

52nd Reconnaissance Battalion

53rd Reconnaissance Battalion

54th Reconnaissance Battalion

74th Reconnaissance Battalion

120th Reconnaissance Regiment

129th Reconnaissance Battalion

130th Reconnaissance Battalion

131st Reconnaissance Battalion

132nd Air Assault Reconnaissance Battalion

140th Marine Reconnaissance Battalion

Legal basis

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

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

Notable members

Maksym Shapoval †

Andriy Yusov, the head of public relations