Today, 25 March, Ukraine is celebrating Security Service of Ukraine Day

25 March marks Security Service of Ukraine Day in Ukraine. This is a professional holiday for the staff and veterans of the SBU, who are responsible for safeguarding national security, state sovereignty and the country’s territorial integrity.

It was on this day in 1992 that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law ‘On the Security Service of Ukraine’. This date was established as a professional holiday by Presidential Decree No. 193/2001 of 22 March 2001.

Following the declaration of Ukraine’s independence, the question arose of reforming the previous system of state security bodies. Subsequently, the SSU became a key state structure in the sphere of protecting national interests.

The service’s main tasks include counter-intelligence, combating terrorism and extremism, safeguarding state secrets, countering organised crime, cyber security and protecting critical infrastructure. A separate focus is the protection of the state’s information space and countering disinformation.

Following the start of Russian aggression in 2014, the SSU focused on combating hybrid threats, separatism and subversive activities. Since 24 February 2022, its officers, alongside other Defence Forces, have been operating in combat zones, exposing spy networks, preventing sabotage, documenting war crimes and repelling cyberattacks.

Much of the information regarding the SSU’s activities is classified, yet the service remains one of the country’s key security agencies amid a full-scale war.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff and veterans of the SSU for their service, and to honour the memory of those who died in the line of duty.