Paul Grod meets with General Kyrylo Budanov: New collaborations between UWC and HUR lie ahead

On Thursday, September 12, 2024, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Main Directorate of Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR), held a meeting with Paul Grod, President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), and Andrew Potichnyj, Director of the “Unite with Ukraine” initiative.

The meeting highlighted the successful results of the cooperation between HUR and UWC from February 2022 to September 2024. The total aid provided during this period was a substantial 72 million UAH (equivalent to 1.75 million USD), significantly supporting numerous projects benefiting Ukraine’s defense intelligence structure.

General Budanov expressed his gratitude to the global Ukrainian Diaspora for their support. “This is a war of attrition. We must do everything to prevent the level of support for Ukraine from decreasing,” emphasized Ukraine’s intelligence chief.

At the meeting, the UWC announced a new aid package totaling 46 million UAH (1.1 million USD). This package includes critical tactical medical supplies such as 4,500 Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK), Saros 3000 Portable oxygen concentrator systems, NAR Quantum blood and fluid warming systems, 4,000 CAT 7 Gen tourniquets, and much more. 

The aid package, coordinated with the head of the Medical Services of Defense Intelligence and has already been contracted for delivery in October 2024 bringing the UWC’s total contributions to HUR up to 118 million hryvnias since the beginning of the full scale invasion. 

Another main topic of discussion were the valuable potential contributions of UWC and its partner network to the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War under the leadership of Lieutenant General Budanov. The parties explored the critical role that UWC could play in the headquarters to effectively assist Ukraine in returning prisoners of war.

Additionally, the discussion covered in detail the strategic planning of future projects between the UWC and HUR, particularly in the high-tech unmanned aviation and drone systems sectors. The UWC reaffirmed its commitment to supporting HUR by cooperating and collaborating with a newly formed special purpose unit of the Main Directorate of Defense Intelligence. 

Paul Grod was awarded the “For Assistance to Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, 2nd Class” medal for the significant contributions of the UWC to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence units. President Grod accepted the award on behalf of the global Ukrainian diaspora, acknowledging every donor’s vital role in the UWC’s mission to bring unequivocal Ukrainian victory one step closer. 

The meeting concluded with a heartfelt and symbolic exchange of gifts, underscoring the warmth and deep camaraderie between HUR and the UWC.