Serhii Deineko

Serhii Vasyliovych Deineko (; born 5 April 1975) is a Ukrainian Lieutenant General who served as the head of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service (SBGS) from June 13, 2019 to January 4, 2026.

In 2014, at the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Deineko was in charge of the Luhansk Border Guard Detachment, fighting Russia in Luhansk Oblast. The detachment had to retreat, and Russia partially occupied the oblast. He later worked as deputy director of the Operational Department of the SBGS. In 2019, he was appointed head of the SBGS, replacing Petro Tsyhikal.

Deineko has served during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started in 2022. In the prelude to the invasion, he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russian troops would invade Ukraine from Belarus and through the Chernobyl exclusion zone, which was correct. The SBGS made plans to prepare for an invasion, which started on February 24, 2022. Deineko continued to serve in the SBGS, and was promoted from Major General to Lieutenant General in 2024.

Career

Russo-Ukrainian War

At the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014, Deineko was in charge of the Luhansk Border Guard Detachment, which started fighting Russian terrorists in June of that year in Luhansk Oblast. His troops had to retreat, and Russia partially occupied part of Luhansk Oblast in the subsequent years.

Deineko then worked for the deputy director of the Operational Department of the SBGS. On June 13, 2019, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed him to head of the SBGS, replacing Petro Tsyhikal.

Starting in early 2021, Russia began a buildup of troops near Ukraine's border. There was second buildup later in the year. Using the SBGS' and other Western countries' intelligence, the SBGS concluded by 2022 that Russia was planning an invasion. In early February 2022, Deineko told Zelenskyy that Russia would go to war with Ukraine, and that Russia would attack Ukraine from Belarus (a Russian satellite state) and through the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The SBGS then "completely evacuated all secret documentation of personal and housing files of our staff" from multiple cities across the country, and prepared for a different Russian troop movement to surround Ukrainian soldiers currently fighting in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. On February 19, Deineko went to the head of the Belarusian Border Guard Service, Anatoly Lapo, and informed him of Ukraine's intelligence findings, asking him to pass the information onto Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Lapo said this was not possible, which Deineko concluded was a lie; Deineko did not directly speak to him after this. On February 21, Deineko informed all Ukrainian higher authorities that there would be an invasion.

As Deineko predicted, Russia invaded through Chernobyl. On February 26, Deineko sent a message to Anatoly Lapo through Deineko's Facebook page: In July 2023, Zelenskyy held a meeting with Deineko and the rest of the president's Staff on the situation on the front lines, the security of nuclear power plants, and the pace of production of military equipment and ammunition. In December 2023, Deineko visited Kharkiv Oblast to inspect and discuss the positions of his troops on the front lines.

On April 30, 2024, Zelenskyy marked Border Guard Day by promoting three SBGS officials to higher ranks, including promoting Deineko from Major General to Lieutenant General.

On January 4, 2026, Deineko was dismissed from office by Zelenskyy.