Main points
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Oleh Luhovsky as the interim head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
- The position of head of the SZR has remained vacant since January 2, 2026, after the appointment of Oleg Ivashchenko as head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.
Oleg Lugovsky / Photo SZRU
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Oleh Luhovsky as the interim head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine. The position of head has been vacant since early January.
The corresponding decree of the head of state appeared on the website of the President of Ukraine.
Who became the interim head of the SZRU?
By his decree, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Oleh Vasylovich Luhovsky to temporarily act as the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
The position of head of the SZRU has remained vacant since January 2, 2026, when the former head of the department, Oleg Ivashchenko, took up the post of head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (GUR MO).
Reference: Oleh Lugovskyi holds the rank of Major General. Since 2024, he has been working in senior positions in the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine: first he held the position of Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and in 2025 he was appointed its First Deputy. He was also part of the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations with Russia, which took place in May 2025 in Istanbul.
How did the chair of the SZRU become vacant?
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President Zelenskyy appointed Oleg Ivashchenko as the head of the State Security Service. As a result, the position of the head of the State Security Service became vacant.
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Political scientist Oleg Sahakyan noted on Channel 24 that Budanov has special qualities as a manager. He will reduce his influence on the State Administrative Council with the arrival of Ivashchenko as chairman.
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At the same time, the former head of the service Mykola Malomuzh emphasized on Channel 24 that Oleg Ivashchenko will also find himself in this structure and will show himself properly. He himself is a graduate of the GUR. According to Malomuzh, Ivashchenko will feel better in the GUR than in the SZRU.