Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Office of the President (OP) and one of Kyiv’s key negotiators in talks with Moscow, said the Kremlin is still attempting to assassinate him even as he leads peace efforts.
Budanov served as head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) from August 2020 until January this year, when he was appointed head of the OP.
In his first interview with British media since taking up his new role, published by The Times on May 15, Budanov said he had survived at least 10 assassination attempts and described it as “absolutely normal” given his role and Russia’s ongoing operations against Ukrainian intelligence figures.
Can peace talks still succeed despite the threats?
Despite the ongoing threats to his life, Budanov said he believes the peace process can still lead to an end to the war.
“Any ways, forms and methods of work are good if they produce that result. I don’t engage in matters I don’t believe in… I believe in the negotiation process… [its] completion and the result.”
He said his experience as HUR’s former head gives him an advantage in negotiations, including access to longstanding intelligence networks inside Russia and established channels used for prisoner exchanges.
“We dealt with them for many years, so believe me, I know how to talk to them,” he said.
However, he noted that a planned “1,000-for-1,000” prisoner swap was reduced to 205 prisoners, and no new talks have been scheduled.
Is Russia preparing for a nuclear strike?
Budanov also warned that Russia retains the capability to carry out a nuclear strike, but said there are no indicators that such a step is being prepared.
“Russia absolutely has the capability to carry out a nuclear strike at any moment… but this is, first and foremost, a question of political will,” he said, adding that he has seen no signs of imminent preparation.
How is Ukraine’s military role changing?
Ukraine is transitioning from a net recipient of Western military aid to a potential exporter of drone technology and expertise, Budanov said, noting that Kyiv is ready to share its experience with partners.
“We are developing much faster because we are in a state of war. In any military field, as well as in the field of infrastructure protection and systemic changes in the functioning of the state during wartime, we can share this knowledge,” he said.
At the same time, Budanov stressed that the most urgent challenge for Ukraine’s allies is building effective, organized air defense systems. He pointed to the example of the US and its Gulf allies, which have been forced to use costly missiles to intercept relatively cheap drones – munitions that take years to produce, while drones can be assembled in days.
“Right now, in my subjective opinion, more help is needed in how to build a multi-layered system capable of responding,” he said. “Ukraine will gladly extend a helping hand. If they do not need it, no one is going to impose it on them.”
He added that the evolution of warfare is inevitable, with “smart,” autonomous drones expected to play a central role – technology that Ukraine is already developing and testing.
Can volunteer recruitment sustain Ukraine’s army?
However, Budanov stressed that volunteer recruitment alone cannot meet the army’s needs.
“Recruitment of volunteers is not capable of covering the numbers needed by the army. This is impossible because of economic problems and impossible because, after 12 and a half years of war, there is nothing to motivate such numbers of people to volunteer,” he said.
At the same time, he acknowledged abuses by some draft officers and pledged to address them, referring to cases in which recruits were beaten “in every possible way.” However, he emphasized that mobilization remains unavoidable.
“We are waging the most terrible full-scale, total war at the present time. A war in which groupings of millions are taking part. There is no other way. Otherwise, the country will simply fall.”
Why is Budanov high on Russia’s target list?
Budanov, a career intelligence officer and Hero of Ukraine, has become a prominent figure among Ukrainian troops and Western allies, known for his special forces background and operations behind enemy lines, including raids in occupied Crimea. Budanov has been wounded several times in action.
Since 2014, Ukraine’s military intelligence has been engaged in covert operations against Russian targets, a pattern that intensified after the full-scale invasion.
Under Budanov’s leadership, HUR has targeted collaborators in occupied territories as well as Russian propagandists and senior military figures, placing him high on Moscow’s wanted list.
What assassination attempts have been reported?
Ukrainian officials say most assassination attempts against him were intercepted early, with only a few becoming public.
In 2024, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it foiled a plot to target Budanov’s convoy with ballistic missiles, allegedly involving two colonels from the state protection service working for Russia, along with a third attacker tasked with finishing survivors using an FPV drone.
In 2023, Budanov’s wife, Marianna Budanova, was reportedly poisoned with heavy metals alongside several intelligence officers in what Kyiv described as a Russian operation targeting his close circle.
In 2019, a bomb planted under Budanov’s car exploded prematurely, injuring the attacker who placed it. Budanov was reportedly armed at the time and pursued a second suspect, who escaped by car.