The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine has presented a booklet about the fallen Hero of Ukraine, Ruslan Popov, as part of the Outstanding Spies project on the Armed Forces Day.

At the presentation on Friday, Olha Mosendz, a representative of GUR and the author of the Outstanding Spies project, said that the booklet is the fifth story to be included in the book about the spies who changed the course of the war with their exploits.

"We must remember our heroes, tell our children about them so they can look up to such people. After all, thanks to people like Ruslan Popov Ukraine exists and will continue to exist," Mosendz said.

As noted in the booklet, Captain I rank (Colonel) of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's GUR Ruslan Popov was a cadre military officer. He took interest in military affairs from childhood. His father Yuriy Popov, who was a military man himself, recalls that he took his son with him to the service, and Ruslan liked it very much.

"Ruslan always dreamed of becoming a military man. I served then on the Maisky Island near Ochakiv. The island was closed. The so-called Navy SEALs were trained there. Sometimes, with the commander's permission, I took my son with me on duty," the father said.

He recalled that there was just an exercise on the island and he was assigned to "retrainers," about 40 guys.

"I was supposed to take them out into the field for a drill. We went out, and he said, 'Dad, while you were briefing, three fighters went to the vineyards.' I didn't notice it. I checked – indeed, I had missed three. I reported and found out that the fighters had decided to sneak into the village, the chief of staff noticed it and took them away by helicopter. They didn't tell me, they wanted to check how quickly I would find the fugitives. It was good that Ruslan had been very smart since childhood. Otherwise, I would have had problems," Yuri Popov said.

Ruslan's mother, Nadia Popova, described her son as diligent and careful since childhood.

"He had a very big heart even from childhood. When I got sick and Ruslanchik was still small, he took care of me even then," Nadia Popova told the press conference.

As the mother recalls, her son himself passed the competition to the military school and really wanted to become a tanker. During his studies, they always set him as an example and said that Ruslan was "an example of a real future officer."

"The best son in the world. The dearest. I would very much like there to be as many such people as possible. God gave Ruslan more kindness than years of life," she said.

The father of the fallen scout emphasized that Ruslan was extremely honest.

"And he died like a warrior, with a weapon in his hands," Yuriy said.

His wife Yulia Popova said that she and Ruslan met in kindergarten.

"Ruslan and my brother were very good friends. Sincere, cheerful and incredibly kind – everyone just couldn't help but like him," she said, adding that when the Popov family moved to Kyiv, she and her future husband saw each other only on holidays.

"Once we met for the first time after a long break in Mykolaiv, and the next day I found a huge bouquet at the door in the entryway. The next time he asked if I would like to become his wife. I immediately said yes, because I couldn't imagine my life without him – my best friend," Yulia said.

A friend of the fallen Hero Oleh Makarenko emphasized that Ruslan was a real scout.

"He always wanted to be in intelligence and was military by nature," Makarenko said.

He noted that Ruslan had a period when he quit the intelligence service, but civilian life was not for him and he wanted to return to the service, which was really his thing.

"I've been friends with Ruslan for 30 years. If we had more people like that, the victory would have come much faster," Makarenko summarized.

He also recalled that Ruslan participated in a UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia (West Africa), where he led an operation to free women from sexual slavery.

As noted in the booklet, in 2014, with the beginning of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, he returned to service and performed operations in the ranks of GUR. Popov was part of the legendary special unit, from which the now Heroes of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, Maksym Shapoval and many others come from. He met the full-scale war in Mariupol.

The booklet quotes the words of the Neptun unit commander, who noted that he and Ruslan performed various tasks in Mariupol to strengthen the combat brigades that were there. They mined the bridge, together with Azov "welcomed" enemy tanks that broke through the defenses with fire.

"We planned to leave the city by car – 'DPR' checkpoints were everywhere. We stopped at private cottages and left at dusk. Yes, we walked at night, but slept during the day. We walked 165 kilometers on foot. So that we would not be detected during the movement, we left our cell phones. All except Ruslan. As it turned out, texted his wife the whole way. Yulia was the only one who knew we were coming. In the capital we were almost 'buried'," the commander said.

Ruslan Popov's last battle was for the Snake Island. The commander of the Neptun unit said that there were two attempts to land on the island, in cooperation with Alpha officers.

"We agreed to go around the island from different sides. But in the first few minutes the Alpha has two 200s. Their commander asks for help. I send the Montana group. That's the group Ruslan was part of. Montana himself gets a serious head wound. Two of our men go to help. Ruslan remains with the Alpha fighters to cover. [...] This time he died, he managed to destroy the enemy fortifications and covered the withdrawal of our fighters," the commander said.

For his outstanding services to the Motherland Ruslan Popov was repeatedly awarded by the GUR leadership and the head of state:

- Defender of the Fatherland Medal;

- Distinction of the President of Ukraine "For participation in the anti-terrorist operation";

- Commemorative sign "For Military Valor";

- "For courage in carrying out special missions";

- "For devotion to military intelligence";

- UN medal.

The highest title "Hero of Ukraine" with the award of the Gold Star Order to the outstanding scout Ruslan Popov was awarded posthumously (July 18, 2022).

A street is named in his honor in Kyiv region, where he lived and where his parents now live. The story of the Hero of Ukraine is included in the pages of the Book of Glory of the GUR of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine.

Ruslan Popov has two children.

The presentation of the booklet was held within the framework of the Outstanding Spies project, which is designed to preserve the memory of Ukrainian heroes and the history of the Ukrainian Defense Forces' struggle against Russian invaders.

The event is dedicated to the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and is held to honor the defenders of Ukraine who fight and struggled for freedom and their own statehood in different eras, as well as to preserve the Ukrainian history of the modern national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people against Russian invaders for future generations.