Kyrylo Budanov warns of Kremlin’s unbroken aim to capture Ukraine

Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) warned that the Kremlin regime is still determined to seize the entirety of Ukraine’s territory.  The intelligence chief was sharing his perspective on Russia’s unceasing hunger to swallow the whole of Ukraine, while giving an exclusive  interview to TSN.

He said that, “the maximum goal for Russia is to achieve control over Ukraine by any means necessary. This objective is non-negotiable. At a minimum, their immediate aim is to secure the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, a goal that has stayed consistent.”

Budanov also offered his assessment of the Russians’ latest offensives in the Kharkiv region, saying that it was unsuccessful even in the enemy’s reduced and amended ambition to establish a so-called buffer zone. 

Further positive views were expressed, as he emphasized that Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has not been destroyed completely, despite the massive and repeated attempts by Russia to do so. 

However, when talking about the possibility of internal unrest destabilizing the Russian dictatorship, he was more circumspect. “Regrettably,” he told his interviewer, “Russia’s societal structure is such that they have systematically conditioned their populace to endure these hardships. The overall level of demand and expectation within their society is significantly lower than in ours,” he explained.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, there have been clear initiatives, like UWC’s “Unite with Ukraine” and the “Saint Javelin” efforts, that have provided consistent extra support to Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces, including Military Intelligence.

It was last May that Lt. Gen. Budanov had a meeting with representatives of Ukrainian World Congress and “Saint Javelin” to thank them personally for their constant support of intelligence officers.  He expressed gratitude about their dedicated effort to present the world with true information about the situation in Ukraine, as well as more coverage and details of the widespread war crimes Russia has committed in the country.