The Ukrainian secret service has a double face

Kyiv Even well-established democracies passionately discuss the question of what role secret services should and may play in times of peace. The liberal system in Ukraine is still young, and the country is at war with Russia – a state that has been perfecting the “art” for decades of using its secret services to weaken or overthrow the political leadership of its neighbors. Counterespionage is the responsibility of the SBU, Ukraine’s security service – a colossus that is as powerful as it is opaque with 27,000 employees.

Since the beginning of the war, the SBU has regularly reported that it has uncovered and dismantled networks in which collaborators and Russian spies conspired against Ukraine. Domestic intelligence is also active in the recently liberated areas, hunting suspected traitors, playing a military role and fighting corruption. However, the SBU suffers from a massive lack of trust.