Head of Foreign Intelligence Ivashchenko to lead GUR instead of Budanov

Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleh Ivashchenko will head the Main Intelligence Directorate instead of Kyrylo Budanov. About this reportedPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Starting today, Oleh Ivashchenko will continue to serve our country and carry out tasks to limit Russia's military potential in the position of military intelligence of Ukraine," he said.

On January 2, Zelenskyy held a meeting with Ivashchenko. As the head of foreign intelligence, he reported on the general situation around Ukraine and current threats.

The focus remains on reducing Russia's economic potential: the less Russia earns, the more opportunities there will be for diplomacy, the president believes. This is especially true for Russian oil exports, which will be limited and become cheaper.

Ukraine is taking similar actions regarding Russian military production: the more Moscow's ties with the world and its sanctions circumvention schemes can be severed, the greater the potential for efforts to end the war.

Zelenskyy did not say who would head the Foreign Intelligence Service instead of Ivashchenko, who had been in charge of the service since March 26, 2024.

• On December 30, the president announced that decided on a candidate for the position of head of the President's Office. And on January 2, he named "an important day for politics."
• On the same day, he announced that proposed to Budanov to head the Presidential Office – he agreed.