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The Intelligence Directorate of the General Headquarters of theArmed Forces of Ukraine was established in February 1992. Based on a presidential decree issued on September 7, 1992, the Strategic Military Intelligence Directorate of theMinistry 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, theUkrainian 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 onIl-76MDs from the25th Transport Aviation Brigade of theUkrainian Air Force and flew toKabul with the mission of evacuating citizens of Ukraine and foreigners during the2021 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 theKabul airport.[4]
On September 20, 2023, CNN reported[5] thatUkrainian special forces were likely behind multiple attacks onWagner-backedRapid Support Forces (RSF) forces in Sudan, usingDJI Mavic 3 andfirst-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]
On January 30, 2024, the DIU received a Snatch Land Rover SUV for its personnel from volunteers of the British-Ukrainian society "Driving Ukraine".[9]
On 2 May 2025, a Ukrainian HURMAGURA V5 naval drone shot down a RussianSu-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.[10][11][12]
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 theSpetsnaz special forces of the RussianGRU, which depicts a bat - a natural prey of the owl.[13][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 звeзды,romanized: Vyshe nas tolko zvyezdy). The new emblem was met with outrage from Russian journalists and politicians, includingDmitry Rogozin, and with some calling it a provocation.[14]
The Main Directorate of Intelligence conducts its activity in the military, political, technical, economic, signals, informational and environmental spheres.
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
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]
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
PresidentialDecree "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
Born inKharkiv 1955. Graduated from the Military Academy of Ground Forces Air-Defence in 1987 and theKyiv University in 2000.
Lieutenant GeneralViktor Hvozd (January 17, 2008 – August 17, 2010)
Born inTernopil 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).
^"International Legion".International Legion of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. Archived fromthe original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved27 February 2024.
_in_Kyiv%2c_2012.jpg)
Ministry of Defence
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg)
10th Separate Special Purpose Unit (10-й окремий загін спеціального призначення,MUN A2245), based inRybalskyi Peninsula, Kyiv
23rd Reconnaissance Battalion
49th Reconnaissance Training Center [uk][17]
52nd Reconnaissance Battalion
53rd Reconnaissance Battalion
54th Reconnaissance Battalion[18]
74th Reconnaissance Battalion[19]
120th Reconnaissance Regiment[20]
129th Reconnaissance Battalion
130th Reconnaissance Battalion[21]
131st Reconnaissance Battalion[22]
132nd Air Assault Reconnaissance Battalion[23]
140th Marine Reconnaissance Battalion[24]
150th Reconnaissance Strike Battalion
151st Reconnaissance Strike Battalion
152nd Reconnaissance Battalion
Shaman Battalion[25][26]
Special Purpose Unit "Kraken"[27]
Artan Unit[28]
2nd Special Operations Detachment[31]
6th Special Operations Detachment
Bratstvo Battalion[32]
NOBODY Battalion[33][34]
Stuhna Battalion[35]
Chimera Unit[36]
Special Purpose "Aratta" Battalion (formerly the 8th Battalion of theUkrainian Volunteer Army)[37]
Black Winter Group[38]
"Paragon Company" Detachment[39]
Volunteer Reconnaissance Battalion "Sonechko"[40][41]
Special Purpose Unit "Vidar"[42]
Kabul 9[43]
Defense Intelligence Aviation[44]
Special Purpose USV Unit "Group 13"[46][47]
International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine is a specialized unit part of theInternational Legion and HUR MO, comprising primarily ex-military volunteers from over 50 countries. They have participated in key battles across Ukraine, notablyKyiv,Kharkiv,Mykolaiv,Kherson,Zaporizhzhia,Sievierodonetsk andBakhmut. The DIU Legion operates with significant autonomy and relies heavily on self-funding for mission essential equipment.[48][49]
