In an interview with the British newspaper Telegraph, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, spoke about the role and development of the special service during a full-scale war.
With the beginning of a large-scale invasion, the staff of the GUR significantly increased, especially for combat and operational-combat units, technical and cyber intelligence.
Intelligence has strengthened its analytical direction and introduced new services for technical data processing based on artificial intelligence, because the amount of information received has increased.
The Ukrainian special service widely uses intelligence data from partner countries, in particular, about missile launches from borders that are not covered by our means of radio-electronic warfare.
"This help is invaluable for us," said Budanov.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence helps and supports partisan groups operating on the territory of Russia, and also sets certain tasks for them. However, this phenomenon is not as widespread as it seems.
At the same time, an agency that not only collects information, but also carries out special active measures is important. Thanks to agency intelligence, Ukraine was able to obtain data about the invasion of Russia on February 24, 2022, since only radio-electronic, radio-technical or cyber intelligence data would not help to prepare in advance.
Kyrylo Budanov also said that during the full-scale war, he survived ten attempts on his life. Meanwhile, his wife Marianna, who was poisoned by heavy metals last year, is already feeling better. Budanov says he knows who is responsible for the poisoning and stated: “It takes time to solve such things. Eventually, everyone will see what it means."