Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this Friday the election as head of his cabinet of Kiril Budanov, current head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR). “I met Kiril Budanov and offered him the post of head of the cabinet of the president of Ukraine,” he revealed on Telegram, after announcing in November the resignation of the head of state’s chief of staff, Andri Yermak, who was the subject of an investigation by the anti-corruption authorities.
“Ukraine must now focus more on issues of security, the development of defense and security forces and through diplomatic channels in negotiationsZelensky said he had already instructed Budanov, although he was not officially named, along with officials from national security, the Defense Council of Ukraine and other institutions, to “update and present the strategic foundations” of Ukraine’s state defense.
Budanov, 39 years old, He became director of military intelligence in 2020. In a message published on his Telegram account, Budanov indicated that he accepted the election of Zelensky, whom he thanked for the trust placed in him. “I continue to serve Ukraine. I consider the post of head of the President’s Office as a new stage of responsibility towards the country. It is an honor and responsibility for me to focus on issues of critical importance” related to “the strategic security of our state in these historic moments,” Budanov said.
Leader of a valued institution
The GUR, according to the Ukrainian newspaper The Kyiv Independentis one of the institutions considered among the “most competent” of the country invaded by Russia. Among its most recent successful operations was the successful simulation of the death of Denis Kapustin, leader of a group of Russian volunteers fighting alongside the Ukrainian defense forces against Russia under the acronym RDK.
Kapustin, who was the subject of an arrest warrant from Russia, He is presumed dead on December 27 on the Zaporizhia front. in eastern Ukraine, as reported in a message from the RDK, but on Thursday the GUR issued a statement welcoming the return of the volunteer.
Kapustin’s murder was ordered by the special services of the Russian aggressor state, which allocated half a million dollars (approximately 426,000 euros) for the execution of the crime, the GUR reported on its Telegram account. “Thanks to a complex special operation” prepared for more than a month, “Kapustin’s life was saved,” notes the Telegram message. “I congratulate you on your return to life” Budanov told Kapustin after the success of this operation.
Ermak’s shadow
This Friday, Budanov also had words on Telegram for his “comrades in arms” in Ukrainian military intelligence. “We will continue to do our job to defeat the enemy, defend Ukraine and work to achieve a just peace,” he said.
Budanov’s election comes after, on November 28, Zelensky himself announced the resignation of Yermakthe same day Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities raided his apartment and office as part of one of their investigations.
Throughout the war, Yermak was the most powerful figure in Ukraine after the president, to the point that many considered him the de facto prime minister and the person primarily responsible for representing the country abroad above the foreign minister.
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