President introduces newly appointed Foreign Intelligence Service chief

That’s according to the President’s press service, Ukrinform reports.

"The power of the state must always be based on sufficient knowledge of each area in which Ukraine fights, competes or develops its partnerships. The foundation on which state policy is built is the information our country has and the understanding of the processes that are taking place in vital areas for our country and our partners. Over the course of this war, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has proved that it is capable of obtaining just such information and providing our state power with a high-quality analytical basis. I thank you all for this," Zelensky said, addressing the audience. 

Separately, the head of state thanked the former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, for the agency’s results and expressed confidence that he would now combine the experience gained with the potential of the National Security and Defense Council.

The president emphasized that the newly appointed FIS chief, General Oleh Ivashchenko, is a professional who “perfectly understands the intelligence activities and the main goal of our state”.

"In the face of objectively scarce resources, we must find opportunities and use them correctly so that Ukraine can destroy the occupier, protect its people, liberate its territory and constantly strengthen our ties with the world, not only with Ukraine's traditional partners in Europe and North America, but also in all other parts of the world. Ukraine's presence in the world must become global in order to maximize Ukraine's potential," Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized.

The president named the following tasks of the FIS: to operate everywhere in the world where Ukraine has and may have interests; to prevail wherever Putin's system attempts to gain an upper hand; to significantly expand Ukraine's presence and its role in parts of the world where global forces compete; to obtain documents and high-quality intelligence about the intentions of various actors in global and regional relations.

"And the fifth task – a very urgent and practical one – concerns the specifics of the FIS work. In times of war, there are absolutely non-public matters that the Service must ensure promptly and efficiently. This is the potential of influence operations, covert intelligence, and actual warfare that Ukraine expects from you, and it is for this reason that the Foreign Intelligence Service is headed by a combat general," the Head of State concluded.

For his part, the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine thanked the President for his trust.

"As a military person, I am fully aware of the level of responsibility before the President, the state, and the Ukrainian people. The tasks you have set are a priority for the Service, for intelligence activities. I believe in the team of the Foreign Intelligence Service," he noted.

The presentation was also attended by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Lytvynenko.