Kyrylo Budanov | |
|---|---|
Кирило Буданов | |
.jpg) Budanov in 2020 | |
| Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine | |
| Assumed office 5 August 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Vasyl Burba |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1986-01-04) 4 January 1986 (age 38) Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Spouse | Marianna Budanova |
| Alma mater | Odesa Military Academy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Ukraine |
| Branch/service | Armed Forces of Ukraine |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands | Main Directorate of Intelligence |
| Battles/wars | Russo-Ukrainian War |
Kyrylo Oleksiyovych Budanov (Ukrainian: Кирило Олексійович Буданов; born 4 January 1986) is a Ukrainian military leader who was appointed the chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in August 2020.[1] Budanov previously served as the Deputy Director of one of the Departments of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine. He holds the rank of lieutenant general.[2]
Budanov was born in Kyiv on 4 January 1986. He graduated from the Odesa Institute of the Ground Forces in 2007.[3]
Following his 2007 graduation, Budanov started a military career in the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.[3]
In 2014, he took part in the war in Donbas, where he was wounded several times. In 2018–2020, he participated in special operations, information about which is classified.[3]
On 4 April 2019, Budanov's Chevrolet Evanda car was blown up by a Russian with documents in the name of "Alexei Lomaka", who planted a mine, but it detonated prematurely. The attacker and the sabotage group that was supposed to blow up Budanov were detained.[4][5]
In 2020, he became Deputy Director of one of the Departments of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
On August 5, 2020, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Budanov as head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.
On March 11, 2022 he became the chairman of the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.[6] In September 2022, Budanov was involved in the largest prisoner exchange operation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, when 215 Ukrainian defenders returned home, including more than 100 fighters and commanders of the Azov Regiment.[3]
In February 2023, the head of the Servant of the People parliamentary bloc, Davyd Arakhamia, stated that Oleksii Reznikov would be replaced by Budanov as defence minister. However, the replacement did not take place, and Budanov was not appointed.[7][8]
On 21 April 2023, the Lefortovo District court in Moscow, Russia issued an arrest warrant against Budanov in relation to the 2022 Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge.[9] Budanov commented on the warrant, stating, "I am pleased. This is a good indicator of our work, and I promise to work even better."[10]
A spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence said in 2023 that there had been more than ten assassination attempts on Budanov. In November 2023 his wife, Marianna Budanova, was poisoned with unspecified heavy metals, probably from poisoned food, and several agency employees had mild symptoms of poisoning.[11]
Media related to Kyrylo Budanov at Wikimedia Commons
