Zelenskyy appoints new head of foreign intelligence
Photo: First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Oleh Luhovskyi (Office of the President of Ukraine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Oleh Luhovskyi, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SZRU), as acting head of the agency, according to a decree published on the president’s official website.
"First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleg Vasyliovych Luhovskyi, is temporarily assigned to perform the duties of the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine,” the decree reads.
The previous head of Ukraine’s foreign intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko, took over as head of the Defense Intelligence in January 2026, after Kyrylo Budanov became head of the Office of the President. Ivashchenko, formerly First Deputy Head of the Defense Intelligence, returned to his previous agency in his new role on January 2.
Following his departure, the Foreign Intelligence Service was left without a leader. Zelenskyy reportedly considered several candidates for the position, including former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Other possibilities included former Security Service head Vasyl Malyuk and the commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, Andriy Biletskyi. One of the options Zelenskyy ultimately considered was to keep the acting first deputy head of the SBU in office.
