Budanov: The percentage of women in intelligence is increasing significantly, while men are fading away

The number of female operatives in Ukrainian intelligence is increasing. Currently, there is a "very large percentage" of them – about 1500 people, said Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov in an interview with Ramina Eskhakzai.

"The only thing I can say is that the percentage of women in both operational and combat units is increasing significantly. In combat units it is a little slower, and in operational units it is a little faster compared to combat units. And this trend has been going on for quite some time," he said .

Since 2020, the DIU head has been observing a trend that women have been taking all the top places in the entrance exams to the National Academy of the Security Service of Ukraine, which trains intelligence officers. But he did not rule out that this trend had been going on before.

"I can't say it's cool or not cool – it's just a trend. We need to recognize and understand it, as they say: men are languishing, while women are moving forward," said the intelligence chief.

At the same time, he did not disclose the salaries of people working in the GUR.

• Intelligence officers told LIGA.net, how to get into military intelligence. They do not recruit people with drug addiction and emotionally unstable people, as well as those who do not pass the relevant law.
• A representative of the DIU also told LIGA.net that the salaries of intelligence officers are higher than in other units of the Defense Forces, and depending on the position, they can receive from 25,000 UAH to 210,000 UAH .