1. Ihor Smeshko was chairman of the Intelligence Committee under the President of Ukraine.
16 Facts About Ihor Smeshko
1. 2.
Ihor Smeshko holds a doctorate in Military Cybernetics and served as professor of information systems and systems analysis, publishing over 100 papers.
3.
In 1995, Ihor Smeshko was awarded a general's star and recalled to Ukraine to lead the president's committee on intelligence, which he did for 3 years.
4.
In 1997, Ihor Smeshko was appointed Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine where he uncovered "massive fraud" in weapons end-user certificate production indicative of arms trafficking at the SBU, then headed by Leonid Derkach.
5.
Ihor Smeshko implemented stricter controls, particularly for the Kolchuga air defense system.
6.
In 2000, facing political attacks organized by the SBU, Ihor Smeshko resigned from his post as head of the Military Intelligence Directorate and assumed the post of Defense Attache to Switzerland, a demotion.
7.
In 2002, Ihor Smeshko completed a master's degree in Military Administration and a Law Degree from Shevchenko University in Kyiv.
8.
Later that year, Derkach was fired and Ihor Smeshko was appointed head of the SBU.
9.
Ihor Smeshko immediately set into action with a plan to preserve documents, replace top management and reorganize the agency with new pay scales and a mission focused away from KGB style secret political police.
10.
Ihor Smeshko was instrumental in the prevention of military action against the civil protests in late 2004.
11.
Ihor Smeshko demanded General Popkov stop his efforts to crack down on the protesters, as the General was mustering 10,000 troops to do so.
12.
Ihor Smeshko was a candidate in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election.
13.
Ihor Smeshko was number one on the party list of the political party Strength and Honor in the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election.
14.
Ihor Smeshko was a candidate for Mayor of Kyiv for the party Strength and Honor in the 2020 Kyiv local election.
15.
Besides his native Ukrainian, Ihor Smeshko speaks fluent English, German and French.
16.
Ihor Smeshko denies the allegations, citing the existence of several other theories regarding the poisoning, and claims that the allegations were made by Kuchma supporters from within the security services, including former SBU chief Derkach.