Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine
Ukraine's foreign intelligence agency, created in 2004; headed by Rustem Umerov since August 2026.
The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine's head, Rustem Umerov, sat in Kyiv's delegation at the Miami talks with US envoys that ended on 9 October 2026, where Washington reportedly threatened to limit Ukraine's access to US intelligence.
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Why did Zelenskyy put Rustem Umerov in charge of foreign intelligence?
Timeline for Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine
Mentioned in: Witkoff's Miami talks end a day early
Russia-Ukraine War 2026Background
The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SZRU) is Ukraine's foreign intelligence agency. Rustem Umerov has headed it since 3 August 2026, when Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed him by Decree No. 695/2026, and he joined Kyiv's delegation at the October 2026 talks with US envoys in Miami.
The appointment came the day Zelenskyy removed Umerov as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, and put a former defence minister in charge of the service. Oleh Luhovskyi had been acting head since February 2026, after Oleh Ivashchenko left in January to lead military intelligence.
The service became an Independent state body in 2004 and works under Ukraine's 2020 law on intelligence. Its work depends on partner services, and in Miami the US envoys warned that Washington could restrict Kyiv's access to US intelligence over its refinery strikes, Axios reported.
The service's chief joins the negotiators
Umerov took the service into the peace track when he joined Ukraine's delegation in Miami. The talks with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner ended on 9 October after one of two planned days.
For an intelligence agency the sharpest line from Miami was the one Axios reported: the US envoys warned that Washington could limit Kyiv's access to US intelligence over its strikes on Russian refineries. Umerov sat across the table from the people delivering that warning. On 4 October Zelenskyy disclosed a US plan for three-way technical talks with Moscow later in the month, which would put the service's chief back at the table within weeks.
Who is the head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service?
What is the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine?
Why was Rustem Umerov at the Miami talks?
