Malomyr was looking at this picture from the &nbsp;hill and planning his way through the enemy&#39;s camp. He understood the Pecheneg language and could more or less speak it. When he was a &nbsp;little &nbsp;boy, he and his mother who originated from the tribe of Polanians, were captured by Pechenegs and taken to their lands. Malomyr grew up in the strange environment, constantly had to endure abuse, humiliation, bullying. But the inner freedom-loving nature did not allow him to put up with it. Resistance grew in his heart and the strong character of the future warrior was formed. He absorbed all the best from his mother and at the same time learnt from the Pechenegs the skill of archery and riding a horse.

At the right opportunity, he fled, taking with him a long sharp knife, a bow and arrows and a small supply of food. He made his way to his land mostly at night, and during the day he hid in ravines and bushes. Once, beyond the River Psol, he was spotted by a guard detachment of the Kyivan Prince&#39;s guard, which nearly killed him on the spot, having taken him for a Pecheneg spy, because he was dressed like a Pecheneg. But the boy&#39;s looking exhausted and &nbsp;his story, albeit sprinkled with unfamiliar foreign words, &nbsp;made them believe him.

Over time, Malomyr&#39;s hardened nature thawed, and he took a prominent place in the Prince&#39;s reconnaissance guard. And nobody could &nbsp;equal him &nbsp;in the hunting field. He could quietly sneak up on game, skillfully disguise himself, and in general was unsurpassed in accuracy of aim.

Now he faced a difficult task: to reconnoiter the enemy&#39;s camp, to get through it to the Dnieper, to reach the other bank, to find the support, if they really were princely warriors, and to call on them to go the aide of Kyivites as soon as possible.

Malomyr descended in the dark from the walls of Kyiv, made his way through the ditch, hid for a moment, looked around and went along the stream, slipping on &nbsp;a steep clay slope and with both hands holding on to the prickly bozthorn twigs. From time to time &nbsp;he stopped and listened to the surrounding sounds. Against the background of the starry sky above Podil, on Lysa (Bald) Mountain, was towering the Greek deity of St. Elijah, erected by order of Princess Olga, who brought with her from Constantinople Greek monks in black cloaks and black hoods.

Behind Kyivska Mountain and Shchekavytsya, the Pochayna&#39;s wide lake was gleaming. The Dnieper was hiding somewhere in the distance. Huts of dressers of rawhides and potters were lining in the ravines on both sides of Pretychiv Didynets(Court) and Shchekavytsya. Previously, there was usually a commotion and smoke billowing from potteries there. But now all the working people went up the hill and hid behind the walls of Kyiv. Malomyr knew this place well.

The Pecheneg camp was still roaring and echoing with neighing of horses, human many-voiced noise, distant shouts, crackling of campfires. Having braced himself up, Malomyr jumped out of his hiding place and slowly headed towards the Dnieper. In his hands he was holding a bridle taken in advance and was asking everyone in Pecheneg if anyone had seen his horse. He kept a sharp knife in his sleeve. His hand was firmly gripping the bone block. He would never fall alive into the hands of the Pechenegs. He knew what would be done to him if he was found out.

He almost reached the bank. A few more steps&hellip; Suddenly he heard a shout behind him:

&rdquo;Stop him! He&#39;s an enemy!&rdquo;

He had no doubts. It was about him. Procrastination could mean death. He rushed to the saving river. Towards him, from the bank, was running a Pecheneg soldier in battle armor. Malomyr made a false movement to the left, and then jumped sharply in the other direction. At that moment, an arrow aimed at his back hit the Pecheneg. He jerked and awkwardly fell to the ground. And Malomyr took off his clothes with one sweep, jumped over the wounded man, made a few more steps and dived into the depths of the Dnieper.

As he came to the surface to take a breath of fresh air, he heard shouts behind him. But he did not look back. Only forward! To the other bank! On his right &nbsp;and slightly in front of him, the water was being pierced by arrows, as if fish were jumping. The arrows were singing and throwing up water. He was already in the middle of the Dnieper. The arrows were still flying, but, fortunately, did not hit him. It is difficult to aim in the dark.

And he was swimming with all his might getting farther and farther with each passing second. Another movement - and he&#39;ll get to the saving bank. But he got too tired. And at that moment someone grabbed him tightly. Instinctively he tried to get free. But in vain. He was already dragged to the boat.

&rdquo;Don&#39;t resist! Calm down! - He heard his native language and softened.

&rdquo;My people!&rdquo; - flashed in his brain.

In the camp, Malomyr learned that he had been pulled out of the water by the men of Voivode (warboss) Pretych.&nbsp; He stood with a small group on the left bank of the Dnieper and did not dare to go to Kyiv, because the Pecheneg army was times larger.

<img alt="" src="/img/kidspageeditor/1609229818702.jpg" style="float:left; height:50%; width:50%" />

The heroic deed of the young Kyivite during the siege of Kyiv by the Pechenegs in 968. Pic. by Andriy Ivanov

&nbsp;

&rdquo;If you do not approach the city tomorrow morning&rdquo; the young man warned the Voivode of Princess Olga, &ldquo;the people will surrender to the Pechenegs&rdquo;.

Pretych then said to his warriors:

- Let&#39;s approach tomorrow in boats and, having taken the Princess and Princes, we will rush to this bank. If we don&#39;t do this, Svyatoslav will kill us.

And when the morning dawned, they boarded the boats, blew their trumpets loudly, and the people of Kyiv, in turn, shouted. The Pechenegs thought that Prince Svyatoslav had come, and ran away from the city.

Stories About Spies. Story 1. Through the Pecheneg Camp

Pechenegs' cavalry army  was standing tightly around the city of Kyiv with its countless pointed towers. No one has ever seen so many. As far as one's eyes could see- there were towers and horse herds. At night, the picture looked even more sinister: with hundreds of campfires burning everywhere, horses neighing, inhabitants of the steppe roasting meat, laughing and singing wild songs.

&nbsp;FAQs

1. I am an excellent pupil, I study well, I am fond of mathematics and I dream of becoming an intelligence officer. But I have problems with physical training, I weigh 85 kilograms, I can&#39;t fight and my classmates tease me as a &ldquo;bookworm&rdquo;. Could you kindly tell me, where I should go to study to make my dream come true?

First of all, persevere in following your dream, ignore caustic remarks and do not stop at anything. You can always get rid of extra weight, as well as master, if necessary, the techniques of self-defense and hand-to-hand fight. It is more important to get a good education, preferably in promising, high-tech spheres of activity, and to become a successful skilled specialist in the chosen profession. Only such a person can be interesting for intelligence.

Professionals in international law and international relations, jurisprudence, economics, political science, public administration, journalism, psychology, applied mathematics, cybernetics, computer technology, systems analysis, information security, etc. are in demand today.

2. What people are more needed by the Intelligence today: the James Bond type or &ldquo;learning nerds&rdquo; who know everything?

Cinematic images of intelligence officers are often far from reality. The same James Bond least of all reminds of a real spy. In fact, intelligence is not about adventures and chasing with shooting. First of all, it is a stressful and hard work that requires a lot of effort, endurance, will power, serious knowledge and great skill. After all, intelligence has many different areas of activity, which require both mobile active people and patient intellectual analysts, programmers, cryptanalysts, etc.

3. Is it true that once a person becomes a spy he is not allowed to start a family and communicate with relatives?

No, this is an exaggeration. In fact, all intelligence officers can have families and communicate with their relatives. At the same time, there are categories of employees who, taking into consideration the specifics and nature of their service, may not always (and not all their relatives) tell about where they work and what they do. These are usually officers who work undercover, or whose work involves agential, operational and technical and other activities, covert operations, and so on.

4. Is it true that there are special intelligence schools in Ukraine, which enlist pupis from the age of 15? And at what age can one begin to study to be an intelligence officer?

There are no such educational institutions in Ukraine. At the age of 15, you can become a student of a military lyceum, and after graduating you can enter higher military educational institutions, where there is a profile of training military intelligence officers.

5. According to a rumour, some intelligence officers undergo plastic surgery so that their schoolmates do not recognize them. Is it true?

The history of world intelligence knows a number of examples when to perform serious intelligence tasks they had to resort to plastic surgery to significantly change the appearance of the intelligence officer. But these are few cases. Modern masking and make-up technologies are most often used. They allow not only to change beyond recognition the appearance of a person, but also his/her walking and even voice.

6. Is it true that all intelligence officers are tested on a polygraph? If so, is it done with or without the consent of the person?

Each candidate for the intelligence service is informed that he, in case of enrollment, will become a carrier of secret information. Therefore, he must pass a special test. The person gives written consent to this. The test includes many different activities, including various tests and the use of a polygraph. This is done exclusively in the legal field of our state.

7. Is it true that intelligence officers are taught hypnosis and reading other people&#39;s thoughts?

In the real practice of training of intelligence officers, of course, such things are not taught. However, a modern intelligence officer must be familiar with human psychology and use this knowledge in work - when establishing contacts with a person who interests him, collecting intelligence, finding out, etc. There are many different ways of psychological influence on a person, some of which are used to train future intelligence officers. Often the skilful use of such methods by an intelligence officer makes the interlocutor think that he is reading his thoughts.

8. Do modern intelligence officers, like 100 years ago, still use dead drops in the passage of information, watching out for foot surveilance, or has the Internet already made adjustments to the use of such methods of work?

Many forms and methods of intelligence work have remained unchanged for decades. Over the years, they only improve and progress. Dead drops, as an old proven method of work, are still used today. Not everything can and needs to be transmitted over the Internet. Samples of obtained secret products and materials, data storage devices, items and technical means needed for intelligence work, and much more cannot be sent via the Internet. Of course, the Internet and the latest achievements in science and technology have made the work of intelligence officers much easier, but did not rid them of the need to skillfully and correctly use in their work dead-drop exchange, personal meetings with agents, and many other time tested methods.

9. What special capabilities are needed to become an intelligence officer?

During the selection, study and registration for the service, special attention is paid to the person&#39;s education, his previous jobs and what skills he has acquired. Besides, the level of intellectual development, psychological readiness for service in intelligence, speed of thinking, sociability, curiosity, experience in working with people, readiness for self-improvement and hard work are evaluated. Important are the knowledge of human nature, capability of coming to common terms with anybody, expressing one&#39;s thoughts clearly and understandably, beings able from a huge mass of information to quickly highlight the main points, to separate facts from conjecture, analyze events and more. Special attention is also paid to the degree of proficiency in foreign languages ​​or an inclination to study them.

10. Is it necessary to know a foreign language perfectly to be selected for intelligence school? Which language is preferable? Is it true that with knowledge of Chinese or some other Oriental language one is more likely to get into the Intelligence?

A good command of a foreign language is a must. Knowledge of Chinese or other Oriental languages ​​is not the main thing in the selection for the Intelligence. In case of necessity, personnel departments of the Service can find and hire a specialist with knowledge of a specific, even rare, language, who has sufficient practical experience and other necessary qualities.

Besides, nowadays young people with knowledge of several languages ​​are coming to the Intelligence. Later, during the preparation for work abroad, they improve their knowledge, undergo additional training, which includes country studies, diplomatic etiquette, and knowledge of the laws, history, customs of the host country.

11. I want to become an intelligence officer. What is better for this: to hold a black belt in karate or to develop some mental capabilities?

Both foreign and military intelligence need broad-minded people who have deep knowledge, monitor the situation in the world, are able to understand it, analyze and draw correct conclusions. Physical condition and classes in many sports are also important. They can be a good addition to business and will-power qualities. This will be especially needed for service in military intelligence and the so-called army special forces.

12. Is there a special oath of intelligence officers of Ukraine?

Military servicemen of intelligence agencies take the Military Oath of Allegiance to the people of Ukraine - common to all the military. It contains the words of the oath &ldquo;to defend the Ukrainian state, to stand steadfastly on the guard of its freedom and independence&rdquo;. There is no special corporate oath. Civil servants who are appointed to various positions in intelligence units take the Oath of Civil Servants.

Intelligence Work Made Simple

Dear Friend!

We created this page specially for you.

We know that the profession of an intelligence officer, which is cloaked in mystery, romance, something unknown and hidden behind seven seals, is interesting to you. You get to know the world around you, choose from the books you have read and watched movies the heroes you would like to follow. Probably, among them there are also intelligence officers.

Do you know how to become an intelligence officer, what special skills and features of character are needed to work in intelligence, where and how future intelligence officers are trained, what tests and trials a candidate must pass in order to soon become a full member of our country&#39;s intelligence community?

These and other questions are often asked by your peers in letters sent to the official website of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine. Such questions &ndash; serious, unexpected, and sometimes naive &ndash; have accumulated in numbers recently. Therefore, we decided to create a special &ldquo;Kid&#39;s Page&rdquo; on our website. There you will find answers to all your questions. We will try to tell in a clear and simple way about the work in intelligence, post some exercises, tests, puzzles, etc. This will allow you to test your skills. It will also help to develop and improve the abilities that may be needed in the future not only for work in intelligence, but also in mastering other professions.

So, prepare yourself and train your memory, test your intelligence, diligence, perseverance, speed of thinking and other capabilities.

Kids' Page

Here are two pictures. At first glance, they are exactly the same. But, there are 12 differences between them. Be attentive and find them.

(We will post tips in due course).

The Cardsharps &ndash; a painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1594).

<img alt="" src="/static/img/kidspageeditor/1609146608257.jpg" style="height:720px; width:1000px" />

<img alt="" src="/static/img/kidspageeditor/1609146632994.jpg" style="height:734px; width:1000px" />

<img alt="" src="/static/img/kidspageeditor/1612781535949.jpg" style="height:734px; width:1000px" />

KIDS' PAGE

Stories About Spies. Story 1. Through the Pecheneg Camp

12/29/2020

Intelligence Work Made Simple

12/28/2020

Kids' Page

12/24/2020

Test your skills

12/24/2020

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