Umerov Outlined His Main Priorities as Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service
On August 3, Rustem Umerov, the newly appointed head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, outlined the key priorities for his work in his new position. These include developing international cooperation, strengthening the agency’s capabilities, and implementing the Ukrainian president’s strategic defense initiatives.
Umerov thanked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his trust and emphasized that the Foreign Intelligence Service has every opportunity to become an even more effective tool for protecting the state’s national interests.
According to the newly appointed head of the SFS, in recent years, Ukraine has expanded its cooperation with the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, the countries of the European Union, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, Turkey, and the states of the South Caucasus. It is precisely this network of partnerships that Umerov intends to use to further develop security, intelligence, and defense cooperation.
Umerov identified the implementation of the president’s strategic initiatives as a separate area of focus—in particular, the Drone Deal framework, under which Ukraine has already concluded agreements on cooperation in the field of unmanned systems with several partners, and the Freya anti-ballistic program, which Kyiv is developing jointly with European allies. According to Umerov, both projects are intended to strengthen the defense and security capabilities of Ukraine and its partners.
“The team at the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine deserves even greater opportunities to realize its potential. My task is to strengthen its capabilities, provide the necessary resources, and create all the conditions for it to operate as effectively as possible,” noted the agency’s new head.
In closing, Rustem Umerov thanked the staff of the Foreign Intelligence Service for their service to the state and expressed his conviction that, through joint efforts, the agency will be able to do even more to ensure the security of the people and the country.
Earlier, Zelenskyy confirmed Umerov’s appointment as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.
As a reminder, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a list of issues falling under the purview of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal. The government published the corresponding Resolution No. 984 dated July 29.
The Supervisory Board of NJSC “Naftogaz of Ukraine” appointed Serhiy Fedorenko as interim acting chairman of the company’s board. The decision was adopted on July 17 following the expiration of the term of the previous chairman, Oleksiy Koretskyi.
