General Oleg Ivashchenko to Lead Main Intelligence Directorate Instead of Budanov

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is considering Oleg Ivashchenko for the position of head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense after appointing Kyrylo Budanov as the head of the Presidential Office.

According to sources of "Ukrainian Truth" and other media, the most likely successor to Budanov is the current head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Lieutenant General Oleg Ivashchenko.

Candidate's Biographical Data

Oleg Ivashchenko has been leading the Foreign Intelligence Service for less than a year - since March 2024. Previously, from 2015, he held the position of first deputy head of the GUR and was an assistant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for intelligence.

Officials' Comments

People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the GUR expects an "interesting appointment" and Ivashchenko is the main candidate for the position.

There is currently no official confirmation of the appointment, but several independent sources indicate a high probability of Ivashchenko's appointment.