Ukrainian military intelligence officers celebrate a professional holiday on September 7, which is a testament to the recognition of the special role played by the DIU in protecting the national interests of the state.
Points of attention
- Ukrainian military intelligence officers work in conditions of open Russian aggression, provide operative and objective intelligence information for making important decisions in the field of national security.
- The activities of the State Security Service in 2023-2024 are aimed at effective special operations that make an invaluable contribution to the struggle for the freedom of the Ukrainian people.
- Thanks to the development of unmanned systems and cyber warfare, the DIU aims to become a special service of a new model with highly effective technological tools.
- Special operations of the DIU, including the destruction of ships in the Black Sea and cyber attacks on Russian providers, testify to the high level of professionalism and success of intelligence officers.
- The exchange of prisoners of war, participation in the defense of cities and operations in the occupied territories are only some aspects of the work of Ukrainian military intelligence.
Military Intelligence Day is celebrated in Ukraine
In the difficult conditions of Russia's open aggression, Ukraine needs effective and active intelligence, capable of providing operational, objective and truthful intelligence information, as well as real forecasts for the country's leadership to make important state decisions in the field of national security.
Successful execution of combat missions behind enemy lines, conducting special operations, freeing hostages and prisoners made the scouts' contribution to the struggle for the freedom of millions of Ukrainians invaluable.
Effective special operations that will go down in the history of military intelligence in the world will be the result of the activities of the DIU during 2023-2024. As part of countering full-scale Russian aggression, the DIU strikes the enemy's most vulnerable military targets.
Military intelligence consistently demonstrates results — both on the battlefield and in terms of strategic planning.
In April 2024, the head of the State Administration of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov stated:
We proposed a plan aimed at reducing Russian potential. It covers many aspects like military industry, critical military targets, their airfields, their control points
Kyrylo Budanov
Head of DIU
Today, the whole world sees the results of the actual implementation of this idea.
In 2023-2024, the DIU scaled up its activities and launched the development of unmanned systems (the modernization of the surface drone of the DIU Magura — V5 began) and cyber warfare.
Kyrylo Budanov aims to transform the DIU into a pro-Western, state-of-the-art special service with highly effective technological tools. Thus, according to the data of the OSINT agency Molfar, throughout 2024, drones of the DIU MOU most often hit military airfields on the territory of the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea. The Magura-V5 self-propelled surface unmanned boat became the record holder among this type of unmanned aerial vehicle for the number of hits and destruction of ships of the Russian fleet.
It was DIU drones that were among the first to "open the cotton season" at Russian refineries.
The successful actions of military intelligence in the waters of the Black Sea changed the balance of power in favor of Ukraine, and the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation ceased to threaten the economic blockade of our state. Military intelligence of Ukraine carried out several successful landings in Crimea to probe weak points in the enemy's defenses, while at the same time striking military facilities of the Russian Federation.
As part of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, reconnaissance fighters repulse enemy attacks, ensure the evacuation of wounded and civilians. During 2024, they participated in the defense of Kharkiv Oblast, Chasovoy Yar, and Avdiyivka.
Andriy "Lyudoid" Limontov, a soldier of the "Shaman" special unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, told in an exclusive interview with Online.UA about how the Russians were captured without a single shot being fired.
Intelligence also plays an important role in the process of returning Ukrainian prisoners of war. Acting in accordance with the President's orders, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine and international partners, the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War manages to ensure the exchange process despite constant provocations by the Russian Federation.
Petro Yatsenko, head of the press service of the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, told the Online.UA journalist about how the Russians use prisoners to put psychological pressure on their families, whether it is possible to forbid Russian prisoners from calling home and what is known about the so-called "Battalion named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi".
Results of the work of DIU in 2024
Specialists and fighters of the Main Directorate of Intelligence have dozens of successful special operations against Russia during 2024.
Destruction and destruction of Russian ships in the Black Sea. In a year and a half, with the help of attack drones, the DIU hit 18 ships of the Russian fleet, 9 of them were destroyed.
So, on the night of January 31 to February 1, 2024, soldiers of the special unit "Group 13" of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine destroyed the missile ship "Ivanovets" of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.
On February 14, 2024, the Main Directorate of Intelligence in cooperation with all components of the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed the large amphibious assault ship "Cesar Kunikov" of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.
The successful mission was carried out by the special forces of "Group 13" of the DIU of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
And on the night of August 8 to 9, 2024, near the settlement of Chornomorske in the temporarily occupied Crimea, soldiers of the special unit of the DIU of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine "Group 13" with the help of a MAGURA V5 marine attack drone destroyed another ship of the Russian occupiers — a speed boat project KS 701 of the "Tunets" type. As a result of the operation, three more watercraft of the invaders were also damaged.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has organized and conducted 55 exchanges. So, on Independence Day of Ukraine, 115 defenders returned home.
The downing of the A50 long-range radar detection aircraft on February 23, 2024 was a joint operation with the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This aircraft was shot down on February 23, 2024 near the city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the Sea of Azov.
Defense of Avdiivka.
Operations on the Kinburn and Tendriv spits.
Soldiers of the "Cyclone" group of the International Legion of the HUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine took part in the operation on the Kinburn spit. The video shows fire damage and destruction of enemy targets
Attack on the airfield of the Russian Federation "Morozovsk": a joint operation of the Armed Forces, the Ukrainian Army, and the Security Service of Ukraine.
Space intelligence data indicate that on August 3, 2024, a Su-34 fighter-bomber was destroyed as a result of fire damage to the Morozovsk military airfield of Russia's aggressor state in the Rostov region. Two more Russian planes of the same type were probably damaged by debris — near the sides were recorded explosions.
The enemy's aviation arsenal was completely destroyed — from the secondary detonation of Russian munitions, large areas of burnt earth can be seen on the territory of the airfield and around it.
Four technical buildings and two hangars at the Morozovsk airbase, located 265 kilometers from the front line, also suffered damage clearly visible from space.
DIU implemented a number of cyber operations against Russian providers, state institutions, the defense industry, mobile operators, etc. Yes, the developer of nuclear munitions of the Russian Federation was paralyzed; a cyber operation was conducted against 100 Russian web resources involved in waging, ensuring or supporting the war and Rostelecom.
The website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation was also attacked; a cyber attack was carried out, which caused a large-scale failure of the drone control program of the Russian occupiers and the Planeta space meteorology center:
Defense of the Time Ravine: slowing down the enemy's advance
International Legion of the DIU
In an interview for Online.UA, a soldier of the International Legion of the Russian Federation, Ratti "Viking" Burduli, gave advice to future volunteers about service and assessed who exactly is needed at the front.
To serve in the International Legion of HUR, experienced soldiers and medics who are able to work at their maximum every day are needed, Ratti "Viking" Burduli is sure.
Defense of Kharkiv region.
Fighters of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, together with Belarusian volunteers of the Kastus Kalynovskyi regiment, destroy the enemy in the Kharkiv direction. In one of the areas, after an attempt to break through, the enemy was brilliantly destroyed by mortar fire.
