The international military publication Irregular Warfare Initiative investigated the activity of GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and its head in the field of public communications.
- Main theses:
- Ukrainian intelligence demonstrates an innovative approach to public communication and active involvement of the public through social networks.
- Western analysts believe that the total closure of intelligence services may be a disadvantage in modern conditions favorable for public communication.
- The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine under the leadership of Kyryll Budanov sets new standards of controlled publicity and active public participation in intelligence.
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- An innovative initiative of GUR is the deployment of the "Main intelligence bot" for gathering intelligence through social networks.
- Activities of Ukrainian intelligence in social networks allow to demonstrate achievements and effectiveness of actions in the fight against the enemy.
Public communication of the GUR meets the conditions of modern war
The material analyzes what tools the GUR of the Ministry of Defense uses and what effect it achieves. After all, the topic of whether intelligence structures should be public and open in cooperation with society often gives rise to discussions.
Public communication of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine — has its own tasks and meets the conditions of modern warfare. It is only a matter of time when Western intelligence will adopt these techniques.
At the same time, the analysts of the Irregular Warfare Initiative come to the conclusion that just the total closure of special services in the conditions of the modern world has become a disadvantage rather than an advantage. Ukrainian intelligence in this context is an innovator.
Among the arguments, Western analysts cite:
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the possibility of attracting financial support for special intelligence units,  ;
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humanitarian missions, increasing recruiting opportunities
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using public content to demoralize the enemy.
A significant part of the content of Ukrainian intelligence in social networks highlights the work of various special forces units operating under the command of the GUR. These units attracted attention for their achievements, such as the destruction of "Group 13" Russian naval ships in the Black Sea. To make matters worse for the Russians, not only were the attacks on these ships videotaped and subsequently published, but the GUR was also able to confirm its success by intercepting and publicly releasing messages from Russian Navy personnel discussing the sinking of these ships. The GUR did not hesitate to release these confidential intercepts and thus challenged the traditional view that intelligence agencies should prioritize the protection of their collection assets, — Irregular Warfare Initiative.
Ukrainian intelligence “came out of the shadows” and it works
Thanks to the formation of a positive public image, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine established the collection of real intelligence through social media.
“GUR differs significantly from traditional intelligence practices. Ukrainian intelligence not only came out of the shadows, but also became transparent thanks to active participation in social networks. Under the leadership of Lieutenant General Kirill Budanov, who enjoys an almost cult status among Ukrainians, the GUR skilfully uses its public presence», — it is said in the material.
The authors of the Irregular Warfare Initiative believe that the course of controlled publicity taken by the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in general turned out to be the right decision in the conditions of modern war and the merit of the current head of the special service Kyril Budanov.
“An innovative aspect of the strategy of engagement with GUR through social media is the deployment of the 'Main intelligence bot', designed to increase the vigilance of the Ukrainian population for intelligence gathering. This initiative turns ordinary citizens into active participants, empowering them to directly provide useful intelligence» — analysts believe.
We note that the Irregular Warfare Initiative — an international military publication founded in 2020 in the USA by active military personnel. The resource specializes in researching security challenges and studying the practices of irregular warfare (conducting military operations using non-traditional methods).