President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced the newly appointed head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Lytvynenko. Mr. Lytvynenko was appointed to this position according to the This is Presidential Decree No. 303/2021, the press service of the President's Office states.
Before that, the head of state dismissed Valery Kondratyuk from the post of head of the Foreign Intelligence Service and Oleksandr Litvinenko from the post of director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies.
"We all know Oleksandr Valeriyovych, I have known him personally for two years. We’ve been working a lot at the National Security and Defense Council. Much has been done under his leadership at the Institute for Strategic Studies. In fact, I deeply respect Mr. Lytvynenko. He is an experienced and respectable man, a professional with an excellent reputation," the President stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the new head of the Foreign Intelligence Service perfectly understands the tasks facing foreign intelligence. The Head of State believes that Oleksandr Lytvynenko should keep professional people around him in order to reform the Foreign Intelligence Service together.
"One of our great tasks today is to protect our statehood, our sovereignty and territorial integrity. And everyone should do it transparently, openly, giving one’s strength and knowledge," the President said.
Oleksandr Lytvynenko thanked the Head of State for his trust and noted that this appointment is a great honor and challenge for him.
"I am convinced that the Foreign Intelligence Service has great traditions, great potential, and very powerful specialists. And I am sure that together we will be able to do everything to protect the national interests of our state, to obtain advanced, high-quality operational information about the plans and intentions of our enemy - the Russian Federation and other states. I am convinced that together we will justify the trust of the President, the leadership of the state and ensure the fulfillment of the tasks of our service," he stressed.
Oleksandr Lytvynenko
Oleksandr Lytvynenko was born on April 27, 1972, in Kyiv.
Marital status: married, has a son and a daughter (born in 2011).
He is a Doctor of Political Science, Professor, Distinguished Figure in Science and Technology of Ukraine.
He is a major-general (in reserve) and public servant of the 2nd rank.
He has been awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of the Fifth Class, the Honorary Award of the President of Ukraine – the Jubilee medal on “25 Years of Independence of Ukraine”.
Higher Education: in 2013 he graduated from the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), Great Britain. In 2009, he obtained the degree of Law at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. In 1994 he graduated from the Institute of Cryptography, Telecommunications and Computer Science (IKSI) in Moscow, specialty: “Applied mathematics” (he underwent lustration inspection in 2015).
Working languages: Ukrainian, Russian – native-speaker, English – level B2.Married, raising a son and daughter.
Work Experience:
08.1994 – 08.1998 – he held positions of Officer, Senior Officer, and Chief Expert of the Directorate-General of Governmental Communications at the Security Service of Ukraine.
08.1998 – 05.2005 – he held positions of Senior Advisor, Head of Department, Deputy Director and First Deputy Director in the National Institute for Strategic Studies.
06.2005 – 12.2007 – he held positions of Head of the Office of State Security, Head of Expert Commission, Head of the National security agency at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC).
12.2007 – 08.2009 – he held the position of Deputy Chief of the Department of Information Analytical Provision at the Security Service of Ukraine.
08.2009 – 05.2010 – he held the position of Advisor to the Director of the Institute of National Security Problems at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC).
06.2010 – 03.2014 – he held the position of Deputy Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies.
05.04.2014 – 13.08.2019 – he held the position of Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC).
From 13.08.2019 – he holds the position of Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies.
On a part-time basis he held positions of Assistant, Associate Professor, and Professor in the Institute of International Relations at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (1998-2007, 2010-2014).