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Ukrainian Intelligence. Backward Look

July 13, 2020
A new book by Oleksandr Skrypnyk, a researcher of the history of national special services, has just been published by ADEF-Ukraine
Ukrainian Intelligence. Backward Look

A new book “Ukrainian Intelligence. Ancient Times” based on chronicle sources, academic and popular science works of researchers of the history of Ukraine, the Ukrainian army and national intelligence services, it tells about the origin and formation of intelligence in the ages-old lands of Ukraine in ancient times – from Eastern Slavs and Kyivan Rus to the Cossack Hetmanate state.

The author comprehensively analyzes the event of that time and seeks to convey to general public the information in the most accessible form. Thus, along with the historical chronology, he presents essays, sketches, folk tales and legends. On the pages of the book, the images of the spies of Kyiv Princes Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise, scouts of Hetmans Petro Sahaidachnyi, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, Ivan Mazepa, Pylyp Orlyk and other Cossack leaders sound live.

This new publication together with the book “Ukrainian Intelligence. 100 Years of Struggle, Confrontation, Achievements”, which was published last year and was written in the same style, have formed a two-volume book, which presents the history of Ukrainian intelligence from ancient times to the present.

Despite the fact that the chronological framework of study of the ancient history of the Ukrainian intelligence covers V–XVIII centuries, the book is of current interest. It makes it possible to understand the extent to which the intelligence is an important and essential tool for the process of state formation, repulsing enemies, protection of native land and the national interests.

Looking into the depths of the centuries, you read those distant events of our history in a new way. And then it becomes clearer why they were interpreted distorted or completely silenced in the Soviet times, why the images of certain Ukrainian figures of that time are still insulted by Russian propaganda.

At the same time, knowledge of those events gives impetus for understanding what is happening today around Ukraine, the nature of Russia’s aggressive policy and the activity of its special services.