Dear Officers and Employees of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine!

On August 24, Ukraine commemorates a day which every year reminds: independence is a work that a nation does continuously, sometimes at the cost of what is most precious. Thirty-five years ago, our people reaffirmed their right to determine their own destiny. Since 2014, we have had to defend this right with arms in hand – first in the East, now – in a full-scale war for the very existence of the state.

From the very first days of resistance to russian aggression, the Foreign Intelligence Service has been carrying out its mission – one that is largely unwritten and unspoken, yet no less crucial to the outcome of this war. The personnel of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine – military and civilian, those on the front lines and those whose work will likely never be made public – are bringing closer, day by day, the moment when Ukraine’s land will be liberated from the occupier, and the word “Victory” will stop being a slogan but will become simply a statement of fact.

The independence that generations of Ukrainians have defended – from the liberation struggles of the early 20th century to the Revolution of Dignity – is now being tested as never before. But it is precisely during these years that it has become clear: the state that others tried to wipe off the map has instead gained what it had lacked for centuries – international recognition as a sovereign entity.

Our greetings to all those who continue to bring us closer to peace – a just and lasting peace, one that is earned, not given.

Glory to Ukraine!