The analysis of all available historical materials covering different periods of Ukrainian history such as the Kyiv Rus, the Hetmanshchyna, the UNR , the Directorate gives us an opportunity to differentiate certain documents concerning the intelligence activity of some officials and military organizations headed by them in the field of military operations information support.

Depending on the situation, from the time of Kyiv Rus, the proper forms and methods of intelligence activities were used for timely obtaining sensitive data concerning aggressions, intentions of Golden Horde, and the Pechenegs and the Polovtzy invaders, plans of the Byzantine empire. Nevertheless, there were no special intelligence organizations in the country. The information units’ origins dated to XVI-XVII centuries, the time of the Cossack State, when they were created under the leadership of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Units of the Cossack information patrol service, military reconnaissance units, diplomatic missions, intelligence residents and private emissaries in foreign countries were the first patterns of intelligence activities. Ukrainian military intelligence units dominated lately in 1917-1920, within the period of the Tzentralna Rada (Central Council) and Hetman Skoropadsky, the Directorate, the UNR, and the ZUNR . Their assignment was to implement the Ukraine’s national security and to preserve the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the country as well as combating subversive and terror acts.

Further history of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine was closely linked with the VNK , a Special Soviet Unit that gradually transformed into the DPU within the NKVS , and after proclamation of the USSR it was replaced by ODPU . On December 20, 1920 the Foreign Section was created within the VNK. The objectives concerning further foreign activity of the State Political Department (SPD) of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic were assigned by Center (the Soviet Government) in the middle of 1924 and the first related directives were obtained from the ODPU Foreign Section in March 1925. At the same time, in the second half of the 1921, on the Ukrainian territory, in Odesa and Novohrad-Volynsky, the first Ukrainian radio interception units were deployed. They performed special tasks of the VNK.

Primarily subordinate to DPU Components, the intelligence unit of Ukraine later became an independent organization with three local departments in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa. Their principal tasks were as follows: conducting intelligence work on the territory of neighboring countries and penetrating into foreign immigrant centers to obtain appropriate data concerning their anti-Soviet plans and hostile intentions.

Before and during the Great Patriotic War in different periods of time the following special elements operated in the territory of Ukraine and in the ex-USSR republics: the First /Intelligence/ Headquarters was responsible for data acquisition on military and political subjects abroad and the Fourth Directorate of NKVS was assigned to organize subversive actions, clandestine and guerrilla movements, conduct oversight, intelligence and sabotage activities in the hostile area.

Several radio interception units on the Ukrainian territory performed the tasks of the Fifth Directorate (Radio Interception) of the NKVS of the USSR. They operated as a part of the Red Army’s fronts and took part in the Nazi-German troops destruction to liberate Ukraine.

Intelligence officers, including those working undercover abroad acquired sensitive information concerning the Nazi Germany war preparation. In particular, valuable data were obtained by Mykola Glushchenko, who was living in Berlin and Paris for a long period of time successfully presenting himself as an outstanding artist and simultaneously caring out his intelligence activities. The actions of regular intelligence officers such as Ivan Kudrya in Kyiv, Viktor Lagin in Mykolayiv and Volodymyr Molodtsov in Odesa were an example of conducting clandestine intelligence operations in Ukraine. Such intelligence officers as Dmytro Medvedev, Mykola Kuznetsov and Mykola Prokopjuk conducted effective subversive and intelligence activities as the members of guerilla units. For courage and heroism they were awarded the title of the Soviet Union Hero.

During the final stage of the War, an amount of skilled Ukrainian intelligence agents infiltrated the homeland of retreating German troops to continue their activity in the last period of War and after its completion. For many years some of these officers provided sensitive information of military and political, scientific and technological, and economic nature.

In the post war period the Ukrainian intelligence was a component of the Soviet intelligence joint system and carried out their its assignments within the NKVS-MDB -MVS -KDB of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

In 1991, after the Ukrainian independence proclamation, the General Headquarters of Intelligence was created within the National Security Service of Ukraine (NSSU). The organization and the staff of the Headquarters were approved by the Decree of the Head of the NSSU on December 28, 1991. Taking into consideration new challenges and threats, within a short period of time the General Headquarters was to elaborate new approaches of modern intelligence activities, determine the strategy of its further development, design its legal underpinning, designate forms and methods of intelligence operations and ensure regular dissemination of data on the sensitive issues to the highest decision- and policy-makers of Ukraine.

On the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic’s territory several strategic radio interception units of the USSR Committee of State Security and USSR Armed Forces General Staff Central Intelligence Headquarters were located. On their basis in the early 90’s the General Directorate of the Radioelectronic Intelligence (SIGINT) and Counterintelligence of Ukraine (the “R” General Directorate was created).

At the end of 2000, on the basis of the Presidential Decree, Security Service of Ukraine Intelligence General Headquarters of gained the national intelligence body status. This allows to coordinate all intelligence activities.

An event of great significance in the field of strengthening a legal status of Ukrainian intelligence was the Law “On intelligence bodies of Ukraine” approved in March 2001. It specifies the aim, major objectives and principles of foreign intelligence activities. The Law outlines the rights and the spheres of interest of the intelligence bodies, designates the way of co-operation between intelligence components and other state bodies as well as the areas of partnership with foreign secret services.

In February 2004, in accordance with the Ukrainian President’s Decree, and on the basis of the General Intelligence Headquarters and “R” General Directorate, the Security Service of Ukraine Intelligence Department was created.

The SZRU started its activity on October 14, 2005, the day when the President of Ukraine signed the Decree “On the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine”. Since then, created on the basis of the intelligence components of the SBU the SZRU, it has been functioning as an independent state body.

On December 1, 2005 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the Law “On the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine”. Later it was decided to celebrate on that day the anniversary of creation of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

[1] UNR stands for Ukrainska Narodna Respublica (Українська народна республіка) and is Ukrainian for the People Republic of the Ukraine

[2] ZUNR stands for Zahidno-Ukrainska Narodna Respublica (Західно-Українська Народна Республіка) and is Ukrainian for the Western and Ukraine People Republic

[3] VNK stands for Vserosiyska Nadzvychayna Komissiay (Всеросійська надзвичайна комісія) and is Ukrainian for the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for combating counterrevolution and sabotage. Russian equivalent is VeCheKa

[4] DPU stands for Derzhavne Politychne Upravlinnay (Державне політичне управління) and is Ukrainian for the State Political Department. Russian equivalent is GPU

[5] NKVS stands for Narodny Komisariat Vnutrishnih Sprav (Народний комісаріат внутрішніх справ) and is Ukrainian for the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs. Russian equivalent is NKVD

[6] ODPU stands for Ob’ednane Derzhavne Politychne Upravlinnay (Об’єднане державне політичне управління) and is Ukrainian for United State Political Department. Russian equivalent is OGPU

[7] MDB stands for Ministerstvo Derzhavnoї Bezpeky (Міністерство державної безпеки) and is Ukrainian for the Ministry of State Security. Russian equivalent is MGB