Ukraine's Military Intelligence Chief Urges Unified Command and Stronger Oversight

Behind Ukraine's wartime intelligence gains, its chief sees a deeper challenge: building a system that remains effective beyond any individual commander. At the beginning of the year, Oleh Ivashchenko, a career military intelligence officer with many years of experience in the intelligence service, took charge of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. He served in an elite special-purpose officer unit and took part in special operations whose details remain classified to this day. As reported by ukrinform.ua. Ivashchenko had served as the deputy chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence since 2015. In March 2023, he became head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, and later returned to military intelligence as its chief. How the Main Directorate of Intelligence Has Changed Since 2014 According to Oleh Ivashchenko, the Main Directorate of Intelligence underwent a sweeping transformation after 2014. It developed technical intelligence capabilities, expanded its ability to gather information, and strengthened its work in areas of strategic importance defined by law. After the full-scale invasion began, not only the intelligence service's resources and capabilities grew, but also the number of tasks it was required to perform. Combat units took on a particularly important role. In recent years, the number of personnel directly involved in combat missions has increased by approximately one-third. The Main Directorate of Intelligence's combat units play an important role in deterring Russian forces, particularly in the Zaporizhzhia sector. At the same time, the intelligence chief emphasizes that the institutional capabilities developed during the war must be preserved and transformed into a sustainable system that does not depend on any particular leader. Ivashchenko opposes personalizing the service or dividing military personnel into 'someone's people.' In his view, Main Directorate of Intelligence personnel serve not an individual, but the state. A Unified Command System and Freedom of Action The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence believes that units should have sufficient freedom to carry out their assigned tasks. War constantly creates new challenges, some of which arise at the intersection of the powers of different agencies and structures. Therefore, he believes it is necessary to clearly define priorities, responsibilities, and the limits of authority, while avoiding unnecessary layers of management that could slow decision-making. At the same time, freedom of action must not turn into the autonomy of an individual unit. Intelligence operations must retain a unified command system, a clear chain of authority, and personal accountability. Even the strongest unit cannot become an independent center of influence. The Public Profile of Military Intelligence Oleh Ivashchenko rarely appears in the media and believes that the public profile of a leader cannot serve as a measure of an intelligence organization's effectiveness. At the same time, the Main Directorate of Intelligence must inform the public about threats to the extent permitted by the specific nature of intelligence work. The purpose of such communication is not to heighten fear, but to help citizens and the state prepare for possible challenges. The intelligence chief views society's readiness for threats as a shared system in which everyone has a role to play. Ivashchenko also distinguishes between publicity and accountability. Intelligence agencies cannot openly disclose their operations, but they must remain subject to oversight by the state and society within the limits established by law. This includes parliamentary, financial, and legal oversight. In his view, democratic civilian control does not weaken intelligence services; on the contrary, it encourages them to improve. Coordination among various agencies in the security and defense sector also remains important. However, cooperation does not mean disclosing operational plans; it means establishing clear rules, defined limits of authority, and shared approaches to resolving issues. Cooperation Between the Main Directorate of Intelligence and the Foreign Intelligence Service Before returning to the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko headed Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service. This agency works primarily in non-military areas, including the economic and political spheres, so most of its activities remain out of the public eye. According to Ivashchenko, the Foreign Intelligence Service has developed some of the strongest capabilities for assessing Russia's economic potential. The effectiveness of this work is confirmed by assessments from Ukraine's foreign partners. Coordination between the Main Directorate of Intelligence and the Foreign Intelligence Service has been established. Both agencies work in concert and focus on a shared outcome: strengthening Ukraine's security and countering Russian aggression.