Image Credits: Ukrainian Intelligence Services Ranked Among Europe’s Best by L’Express. AI-generated illustration created by Open Chronicle using ChatGPT (OpenAI). August 2026. This image is illustrative and does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle with agencies
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR/GUR) have been ranked among Europe’s leading intelligence services in a new assessment published by the French magazine L’Express, reflecting growing international recognition of Kyiv’s intelligence capabilities after more than four years of war with Russia.
The Ukrainian services placed fourth overall, ahead of the intelligence agencies of Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Denmark, Romania, Spain and Finland.
Ranking based on intelligence professionals’ assessments
According to L’Express, the ranking was compiled with input from 60 intelligence professionals representing 25 countries.
Participants were asked to identify the five foreign intelligence services they considered the most effective based on their own professional experience. The evaluation focused primarily on operational effectiveness and reliability.
The final ranking placed:
- United Kingdom, MI6
- France, DGSE
- Netherlands, AIVD
- Ukraine, SBU and HUR
Ukraine received 77 points, highlighting the growing reputation of its intelligence community within European security circles.
Recognition for operational innovation
According to the report, intelligence experts praised the Ukrainian agencies for their creativity, operational flexibility and willingness to undertake highly complex and high-risk missions.
One European intelligence officer reportedly compared the SBU and HUR to Israel’s Mossad, describing Ukraine’s intelligence services as exceptionally innovative under wartime conditions.
Experts noted that the agencies have demonstrated an ability to adapt rapidly while conducting operations under the pressures of an ongoing large-scale conflict.
High-profile operations draw international attention
The assessment highlighted several operations that have attracted international attention during the war.
Among the examples cited were Operation Spiderweb (Pavutyna), a coordinated long-range drone operation targeting Russian military airfields, along with operations that Ukrainian authorities say resulted in the elimination of senior Russian military commanders.
Although many intelligence activities remain classified, such operations have contributed to Ukraine’s growing reputation for conducting complex missions far beyond the front line.
Intelligence at the centre of Ukraine’s defence strategy
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, intelligence has become one of Ukraine’s most important strategic assets.
Working alongside the armed forces, intelligence agencies have supported long-range precision strikes, sabotage operations, cyber activities, counterintelligence missions and the collection of battlefield intelligence.
The close coordination between the SBU, HUR and other branches of Ukraine’s security and defence establishment has become a defining feature of Kyiv’s military strategy.
Growing international recognition
The ranking reflects the increasing prominence of Ukraine’s intelligence services within the broader European security landscape.
As the war continues, intelligence gathering, special operations and technological innovation remain central to Ukraine’s efforts to counter a significantly larger military adversary.
For many observers, the recognition by intelligence professionals across Europe illustrates how operational experience gained during the conflict has transformed Ukraine into one of the continent’s most closely watched intelligence powers.