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Kyrylo Budanov, the former head of Ukrainian military intelligence and currently chief of staff of Volodymyr Zelensky's presidential office, has stated that he remains a target of the Kremlin, even though he is now Ukraine's chief negotiator in talks with Russia to end the war.
In an interview with The Times, the 40-year-old general said that attempts to eliminate him have become part of his daily work. According to Ukrainian media, Budanov has survived at least ten assassination attempts in recent years and is considered one of the leading figures of the Ukrainian resistance to Russia.
He has become known for leading covert operations and special missions against Russian forces, including attacks in Crimea and territories occupied by Moscow. For his contribution, Budanov has been awarded the title of "Hero of Ukraine", the country's highest military decoration, while media reports suggest he has close ties to the US CIA.
Although he now holds a diplomatic role, Budanov said that Russia continues to consider it a priority objective. According to him, in negotiations, the result is important, not trust in the other side. "I don't need to trust anyone, I need to achieve a result ," he declared, adding that he still believes in the possibility of a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Budanov stressed that his intelligence experience is proving valuable in the negotiations with Moscow, as he continues to have sources and information contacts inside Russia. He said he is well acquainted with key Russian figures, the Kremlin's way of operating, and the limits of Russian negotiators. According to him, secret communication networks set up earlier for the prisoner exchange are also being used in the current talks.
However, he admitted that there is still no new date for the resumption of peace negotiations, as the planned prisoner exchange during the Victory Day ceasefire also did not materialize.
Budanov warned that Russia remains a serious military threat and maintains the capacity for nuclear strikes at any moment. According to him, the Russian nuclear arsenal is real and dangerous, but there is currently no concrete evidence that Moscow is preparing such an attack. "If there were signs of preparation, I would know about it," he said.
He also spoke about the assassination attempts on him, hinting that some of them had not been made public. In 2024, the Ukrainian SBU announced that it had uncovered a plan to strike his convoy with ballistic missiles, which was suspected of involving Ukrainian officials secretly cooperating with Russia. According to the investigation, the assassins also planned to use suicide drones to eliminate survivors after the attack.
In another episode, his wife, Marianna Budanova, was allegedly poisoned with heavy metals in an operation that Ukrainian authorities attribute to Russia. Meanwhile, in 2019, a bomb planted under Budanov's vehicle exploded prematurely, seriously injuring the Russian agent who had planted it. Ukrainian media reported that Budanov had pursued the other perpetrator of the assassination with a gun in his hand, who managed to escape.
In the interview, Budanov also touched on the development of Ukrainian military technology, stating that the war is entering a new phase where intelligent drones and autonomous systems will play a decisive role on the battlefield. He said that Ukraine has already created prototypes of autonomous drones and is expanding long-range attacks on Russian energy and oil infrastructure.
According to him, Ukraine is gradually moving from a country that benefits from Western military assistance to an exporter of modern warfare technology and experience. Budanov stated that Kiev is ready to share its knowledge with allies, especially in air defense and drone warfare, adding that many Western countries are not yet prepared for new military threats.
He also commented on political developments in Ukraine following the corruption investigation involving former presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak. Budanov distanced himself from his predecessor and promised a leadership model with more accountability for subordinates and less centralization of power.
In the end, Budanov defended the continuation of military mobilization in Ukraine, emphasizing that the country cannot rely solely on volunteers to cope with the war. “A total war is taking place in which millions of people are participating. There is no other way out, otherwise the country will fall,” he declared.
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