Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

The Chief directorate of intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (Головне управління розвідки Міністерства оборони України) or HUR (ГУР), is Ukraine's military intelligence service. It is a subdivision of the country's Defence Ministry and is under direct subordination to the Ministry of Defense, not the General Staff. It was in fact built upon the existing intelligence assets of the Kiev, Odessa and Carpathian military districts of the Soviet Army.

The agency's motto is "Statehood, professionalism, decency".

Legal basis

 * Constitution of Ukraine;
 * Verkhovna Rada Regulation On National Security Concept of Ukraine (state policy fundamentals);
 * The Law of Ukraine On Defense of Ukraine;
 * The Law of Ukraine On The Armed Forces of Ukraine;
 * The Law of Ukraine On the Intelligence agencies of Ukraine;
 * The Law of Ukraine "Separate legislative acts of Ukraine Amendments in light of the Law of Ukraine " About the Intelligence agencies of Ukraine" passage;
 * Decree of President of Ukraine On the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Status.

Spheres of Activity
According to the Law of Ukraine On the Intelligence agencies of Ukraine, the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence (Defence Intelligence) conducts its activity in the military, political, technical, economic, informational and environmental spheres. The major missions:
 * obtaining, analyzing and dissemination of the intelligence information to the senior civil and military authorities of Ukraine;
 * performing special tasks in order to promote National interests and State policy of Ukraine in economic, political, military, technical, environmental and informational areas, contributing to the national defence, fostering the economic development, promoting science and technology, protecting the State border;
 * participating in operations against terrorism, international organized crime, drug, arms and technologies trafficking, illegal migration;
 * counteracting the external threats that can affect National security of Ukraine, lives and health of its citizens and the state facilities abroad.

Organization
The HUR has an executive office and several agency-wide functions, and five major directorates and departments.

Directorates: Departments:
 * Strategic Intelligence Directorate
 * Armed Forces General Staff Intelligence Support Directorate
 * Information Support Directorate
 * Personnel Policy Directorate
 * Logistic Directorate
 * Internal Security Department
 * Planning Department
 * Automation and Communication Department
 * Economic and Finance Department
 * Information and state secret protection Department.

History
The Intelligence Directorate of the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began forming in February 1992. In compliance with the Presidential Decree of September 7, 1992, a decision was made concerning the establishment of the Strategic Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. Therefore, September 7 marks the Day of Military Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

On July 6, 1993, the Decree of the President of Ukraine gave start to merging of the Intelligence Directorate of the General Headquarters and the Strategic Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine into the Main Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. On April 14, 1994, the Main Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine was renamed into the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

The current head of the Directorate Serhiy Hmiza was appointed 17 August 2010.

Directors

 * Lieutenant-General Oleksandr Skipalsky (October 16, 1992 - June 9, 1997)
 * Born in Volyn Oblast 1945. Graduated from the KGB Supreme School in 1975.


 * Colonel-General Ihor Smeshko (June 9, 1997 - September 29, 2000)
 * Born in Cherkasy Oblast 1955. Graduated from PhD from the National Academy of Defense in 2000.


 * Colonel-General Viktor Paliy (September 29, 2000 - March 13, 2003)
 * Born in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 1949. Graduated from the Military Academy of General Staff of USSR Armed Forces in 1988.


 * Colonel (ret.) Oleksandr Halaka (March 13, 2003 - January 17, 2008)
 * Born in Kharkiv 1955. Graduated from the Military Academy of Ground Forces Air-Defense in 1987 and the Kiev University in 2000.


 * Lieutenant-General Viktor Hvozd (January 17, 2008 - August 17, 2010)
 * Born in Ternopil Oblast 1959. Graduated from the Frunze Military College (Kiev, 1981), Lviv University (1997), Magistrate of Kiev University of Law and Economics (2005), Military-Diplomatic Academy (2009).


 * Major-General Serhiy Hmyza (August 17, 2010 – present)
 * Born in Odessa Oblast 1960. Graduated Military College in 1981, the Military-Diplomatic Academy in 1991, Ukrainian State University in 2008.