December 20, 2017

President of “Borysfen Intel” Victor Hvozd on the “Radio Liberty”

The speech by the President of the “Borysfen Intel” Center V. Hvozd on the “Radio Liberty” per the recent publication of his book “Ukraine's Military Intelligence at the Turn of the Third Millennium” was going beyond its material. And, of course, it could not be otherwise: in the East of Ukraine, fighting continues, where military intelligence officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine carry out their direct duties; in the international political arena, our state has to counter ideological and information attacks, and this can't be done without intelligence officers. Let alone geopolitical aspects, without clear understanding of which no decisions at the interstate level can be done! And here too, intelligence officers are playing not the last role, about which the author of the book told while answering questions asked by the correspondent of “Radio Liberty”.

Of course, all this could be heard on the live broadcast or seen on the Internet, where the speech is available also in print. But at this, it is not superfluous to remember about some things which, V. Hvozd believes, are presented to society either in a generalized form, or, to put it mildly, incorrectly. For example, the media is actively discussing Russia's decision to withdraw its military observers from the Donbas, after which, as analysts warn, some kind of provocation or even an offensive on the position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will begin. V. Hvozd believes that we should be ready for any events, especially where it comes to combat actions. But the conclusions should be correct, decisions — balanced. And he gave examples from his experience, when in 1990s he was serving in the Balkans, where there were similar situations in which RF military were directly involved.

As for the authenticity of the information provided by intelligence agencies, it is given only to those who have to own it and make responsible decisions. “Intelligence is an instrument that needs to be used properly”, pointed out V. Hvozd, responding to the journalist's question and giving examples from the history of military intelligence.

During the conversation in the studio, the theme of disclosure of intelligence information in the media, the succession in the intelligence agencies, and the training of reliable personnel for them was also touched upon.

“I absolutely agree that Putin is testing us for strength”, Viktor Ivanovych agreed with the radio listener, who called the studio's straight line, “but let us remember that in Russia today there is a difficult situation, the way out of which is difficult to find even for self-confident Russian leadership. The time will come when they will have to answer for their actions before the people of Russia, whose support they still enjoy”.

Answering the question, Victor Ivanovych mentioned the events of almost a decade ago, when Russia in the Caucasus began military actions against Georgia. Then our intelligence timely reported on signs of possible attack of Russian troops, on their concentration along the western Russian border. Actually, this was repeated several years ago, when Russia annexed the Crimea, invaded our Donbas.

“When I headed the Foreign Intelligence Service in 2014, I reported to the leadership of our state about signs of possible Russian offensive. And what was next is now common knowledge”, V. Hvozd remembered.

Victor Ivanovych also paid tribute to the Russian intelligence structure, whose work he knows very well, not by hearsay or from periodicals. He considers it one of the most efficient in the world, performing its duties at the geopolitical level, and we should be very watchful to it.

To the question why the list of Russian officers was disclosed on the website of the GUR MO of Ukraine, he answered that in this way the facts of Russian participation in the events in the Donbas are confirmed, and this opens the eyes of the world community to Russia's current politics.

“We are well aware of who and what for has come to us and what measures must be taken about it today,” said on the “Radio Liberty” Victor Hvozd, the author of the book about the Military Intelligence of Ukraine.

Video of the interview:

 

Relevant materials:

Victor Hvozd's book “Ukraine's Military Intelligence at the Turn of the Third Millennium” — about the book

The presentation of the book “Ukraine's Military Intelligence at the Turn of the Third Millennium”

The presentation of the book at the National Academy of Public Administration

The presentation of the book at the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine

“Ukraine's Military Intelligence at the Turn of the Third Millennium” at the Publishers Forum in Lviv

Victor Hvozd's book “Ukraine's Military Intelligence at the Turn of the Third Millennium” — how to buy the book

 

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