President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday he had offered military intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov the position of Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine – putting an end to weeks of uncertainty about who will replace Andriy Yermak.
Budanov, who will turn 40 on Jan. 4, has been head of the Ukrainian military’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) since 2020. Previously, he served in the Donbas when Russia first launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
Writing on Telegram, Zelensky said that Ukraine needs “greater focus on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track of negotiations” and that the Office of the President will prioritize these areas going forward.
“Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to deliver results,” Zelensky said – adding that he had already instructed the new head of his office, in cooperation with other relevant leaders and institutions, to submit an updated strategy document for Ukraine’s defense and development.
On Nov. 28, Zelensky announced that Yermak – his former chief of staff – had resigned following a raid on his home by the country’s anti-corruption authorities. The raid was widely seen as linked to an ongoing investigation into a $100-million kickback scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector, which had already seen the resignations of Ukraine’s energy and justice ministers.
The head of the Presidential Office exercises a great deal of influence – particularly as long as Ukraine remains under martial law and in a state of emergency. Yermak was a divisive figure, whose critics saw him as having too much power and too little accountability as an unelected official.
The president included Budanov on a list of possible replacements in early December – alongside Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Federov, Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia, and Colonel Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of the Presidential Office (formerly the commander of the 93rd Brigade.)
Writing on Telegram on Friday, Budanov accepted Zelensky’s offer.
“I continue to serve Ukraine. I consider the position of Head of the Office of the President as another milestone of responsibility to the country. For me, it is an honor and a responsibility – at a historic time for Ukraine, to focus on critically important issues of the strategic security of our state,” Budanov said.
“Thank you for your trust! Thank you to all my comrades-in-arms and the entire team of the Military Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for our joint work. We must continue to do our part – to defeat the enemy, defend Ukraine and work to achieve a just peace. Let’s continue to fight together for a free and secure future of Ukraine!”