David Kirichenko
Ukraine’s intelligence services, especially HUR and the SBU, have become globally formidable, conducting daring sabotage, assassinations, and cyber operations that reshape modern warfare and expose vulnerabilities deep inside Russia.
When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, most Western leaders and intelligence agencies expected Kyiv to collapse within days.
Four years later, Ukrainian operatives are waging war across all of Russia in Kyiv’s special military operation.
How Does Ukraine Stand Up to Russia?
Much of the world now recognizes Ukraine’s military as one of the most battle-hardened and innovative forces of the 21st century. Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken quipped in 2023 that Russia possessed “the second-strongest army in Ukraine,” a nod to how Ukraine’s defenders have repeatedly outmaneuvered what was once considered a top-tier military power.
Yet while Ukraine’s conventional forces have earned headlines, it is the country’s intelligence services, particularly the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), that are quietly waging a war in the shadows against Russia around the world.
Among Ukraine’s most daring missions worldwide, many bear the fingerprints of HUR. From assassinations deep inside Russia to sabotage campaigns across Africa and Syria, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has emerged as one of the world’s most active and feared covert services.
But now, Ukraine’s domestic security service (SBU) has made it clear that every military war planner will be studying their tactics as well. On June 1st, Ukraine’s SBU, after 18 months of planning, neutralized 34 percent of Russia’s nuclear-capable long-range bombers. Quoting US officials and military analysts, the New York Times wrote, “Ukraine is continuing to change the way wars will be conducted in the 21st century.”
No comments:
Post a Comment