When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many in Western capitals believed Kyiv could fall within days. However, the efforts of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) and U.S. support reshaped the course of the war and pushed it onto the aggressor’s territory.
This is according to an article by Newsmax, as reported by Ukrinform.
The publication notes that one of the most decisive elements of Ukraine’s resilience has been the transformation of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate under the leadership of Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov. Months before the invasion, he was one of the few senior officials who publicly warned of the impending attack — though at the time, many dismissed those warnings as alarmist.
In the first hours of the full-scale invasion, HUR demonstrated its ability to carry out high-risk missions. Notably, HUR units repelled a Russian airborne assault on Hostomel Airport. Had that operation failed, Russian forces could have encircled Kyiv within the first week, the report notes. Another important mission involved seven helicopter missions through Russian-controlled airspace to resupply and evacuate the wounded from Azovstal during the siege of Mariupol. HUR also created and trained special units such as Kraken, Shaman, and Artan; organized partisan networks in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine; and oversees the International Legion of HUR, which includes thousands of foreign volunteers fighting on Ukraine’s side.
In the Black Sea, HUR forces pushed back the Russian fleet, liberated Snake Island, regained control over offshore gas platforms—known as the Boyko Towers—and restored key grain export routes.
HUR’s Group 13 developed the Magura maritime drone—the only known unmanned craft to sink warships in combat. By the end of 2024, the Magura V5 had disabled or destroyed several Russian vessels and even shot down helicopters. The upgraded V7, armed with U.S.-made Sidewinder missiles, destroyed two Russian Su-30 fighters near Novorossiysk in May
Later, HUR forces struck Russian airbases, weapons factories, and command centers up to 2,000 kilometers from the front, targeting valuable aircraft such as the A-50 airborne radar, the Tu-22M3 bomber, and the Su-57 fighter. “These are not symbolic strikes — they erode Russia’s capacity to wage war,” the publication notes.
HUR forces also carried out raids in Crimea. Budanov himself has led from the front, joining combat operations such as the liberation of Ruska Lozova near Kharkiv. Russian opposition groups trained by HUR have staged incursions into Belgorod and Kursk.
According to the publication, HUR’s reach is global. Veterans of Russia’s Wagner Group and “African Corps,” implicated in atrocities from Ukraine to Africa, are now tracked and eliminated wherever deployed. Budanov also directs Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War, which has secured the return of thousands of prisoners and civilians.
“None of this would have been possible without U.S. support. Intelligence sharing between Washington and Kyiv has been one of the war’s most impactful and least publicized successes. American satellite and signals intelligence, combined with Ukraine’s human networks and tactical insight, have created a battlefield advantage no Russian general has been able to match,” the article reads.
The authors of the article emphasize that the partnership between the United States and Ukraine has already reshaped the battlefield. “HUR’s example shows how sustained American backing — intelligence, technology, and material support — translates into measurable results against Russia. The path forward must build on that foundation. If Ukraine falters, Russia’s ambitions will not stop at its borders. A Ukrainian victory, by contrast, would demonstrate that democratic nations can adapt faster, strike smarter, and stand together against authoritarian aggression,” the article states.
The media outlet notes that whether a ceasefire becomes possible by the end of 2025 will depend on Washington’s resolve to maintain unity and deter aggression from a coalition of autocracies that includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, and increasingly, China. “The lesson of Ukraine’s intelligence war is simple: ingenuity and determination can outmatch a stronger enemy, but only when backed by sustained U.S. leadership. The Trump-Zelensky meeting was a reminder of that truth. Now Washington and its allies must act on it. America must continue to think big, act fast, and see far. That is how Ukraine wins — and how the West secures its future,” the article concludes.
As reported by Ukrinform, U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated that the war between Russia and Ukraine cannot be resolved “overnight,” stressing that Washington will continue to push for a diplomatic settlement.
Photo credit: President’s Office
Source: Ukraine’s intelligence and U.S. support change the course of Russia-Ukraine war – Newsmax
