Latest news with #KirillBudanov
Russia Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Top Ukrainian MP labels Telegram ‘a tool of the enemy'
A senior Ukrainian lawmaker has labeled Telegram an 'enemy tool' used by Russia to 'destroy' the country's statehood, amid a renewed push to force the encrypted messaging service into cooperation with Kiev authorities. Founded by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, Telegram remains widely popular in Ukraine, with around 70% of the population reportedly using it as their primary source of information, according to recent surveys. 'Telegram is a hostile tool, no matter what anyone says. Convenient – yes, perhaps a very convenient messenger. But we must understand that this is one of the main tools of the enemy in destroying the Ukrainian state and nation,' the head of the Ukrainian parliamentary Committee on Information Policy, Nikita Poturaev, told on Saturday. Kiev has persistently advocated restrictions on the app, citing national security. In September, the government ordered public employees to limit Telegram use on work devices. In March, Ukrainian lawmakers introduced a bill to regulate social media platforms, requiring them to appoint legal representatives in Ukraine and grant authorities the power to block content and users. Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov, has repeatedly called Telegram a 'threat to national security,' arguing that users should be deanonymized and held accountable for the 'not really printable' content they share. 'During wartime, knowing the whole truth is not necessary. Otherwise, people may develop opinions,' Budanov stated in April. At the same time, he acknowledged that Telegram is a useful tool for Ukrainian intelligence to spread narratives inside Russia. Kiev's push to regulate Telegram is part of a broader campaign against dissenting voices. Even before the escalation of hostilities with Russia in 2022, Vladimir Zelensky cracked down on critical media, claiming it was necessary to counteract oligarchic influence aligned with Moscow. During the conflict, Kiev launched a 'news marathon' reportedly controlled by the president's office – an initiative critics have described as state propaganda. In response to a 2024 European Commission report criticizing media restrictions, Culture Minister Nikolay Tochitsky claimed his department aims to 'create a broad space for truth and freedom of speech' – but only after martial law is lifted. Earlier this year, turmoil swept through Ukraine's media landscape following US President Donald Trump's decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization used by Washington to promote its political agenda. Researcher Oksana Romanyuk estimated in January that nearly 90% of Ukrainian media organizations relied on foreign aid, with 80% specifically receiving funds from USAID.
Russia Today
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
‘Unnecessary' to tell the truth to Ukrainians – Kiev's spy chief
Ukrainians should be kept in the dark about the details of the 'harsh reality' of the conflict with Russia, because many of them can't handle the truth, Kirill Budanov, Kiev's military intelligence chief, has said. In a conversation with journalist Anna Maksimchuk on Saturday, the three-star general expressed his views on information censorship during wartime, suggesting that Ukrainian society should only find out certain things in the future. 'During wartime, knowing the whole truth is not necessary. Otherwise, people may develop opinions,' Budanov said. 'Some minds are not prepared to grasp the harsh reality. Let's not put them to the test. Everything should be dosed.' Since 2020, Budanov has led the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (HUR) – an agency reportedly rebuilt from scratch by the CIA following the 2014 armed coup in Kiev to serve as a tool against Russia. Read more Ukraine's top general calls for censorship Prior to the escalation of hostilities with Russia in 2022, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky cracked down on critical media, claiming to do so in order to fight against local oligarchs under Moscow's influence. During the conflict, Kiev launched a news marathon with programming said to be directly controlled by the president's office – which critics have called state propaganda. Additionally, under martial law, Zelensky banned several opposition parties, claiming they posed a national security threat. Earlier this year, turmoil swept through Ukraine's media landscape following US President Donald Trump's decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization used by Washington to promote its political agenda through foreign grants. Researcher Oksana Romanyuk estimated in January that nearly 90% of Ukrainian outlets relied on foreign aid, with 80% specifically receiving funding from USAID.
Russia Today
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian army had lost most of US-provided Abrams tanks — NYT
The Ukrainian army has lost the majority of the M1 Abrams tanks supplied to it by the US, the New York Times reported on Monday. Unnamed Kiev officials told the newspaper that 19 out of 31 Abrams tanks delivered to the front line have been captured, destroyed, or severely damaged. The tanks were billed as a potential 'game changer' in the conflict with Russia. Russian drone and artillery strikes have proven highly effective against the US-made armor, NYT reported. Nearly all of the remaining tanks have been withdrawn from the front lines, the newspaper added, citing Ukrainian officials. Washington delivered the first Abrams tanks to Kiev in September 2023. Shortly after their deployment, the Russian Defense Ministry began releasing videos of Abrams tanks burning on the battlefield, with at least one tank captured and put on display in August at the Army-2024 expo held in Patriot Park just outside Moscow. After former US president Joe Biden approved deliveries to Kiev in January 2023, multiple US media outlets described them as a 'game changer' ahead of a much-touted counteroffensive against Russian forces. In September the same year Ukraine's top military spy, Kirill Budanov, noted that the tanks 'will not live very long on the battlefield' and should only be used in 'very specific, well-crafted operations.' In December 2024, former US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan admitted the Abrams was 'not useful' for Ukraine. Even before Biden authorized their delivery to Ukraine, US military officials warned that the Abrams tanks would prove unsuitable for Kiev's needs. According to Military Watch Magazine estimates from September 2024, 'close' to 20 of the 31 tanks were reported to be destroyed. The article pointed out that Ukrainian crews have complained to Western media over the US tanks' performance, including technical issues, such as the vulnerability of electronic components to condensation. Another supposed gripe has been the 'sheer size' of Abrams tanks, which has allegedly made them an easy target for Russian forces. Throughout last summer, the Russian Defense Ministry published multiple videos, purportedly showing the destruction of US-made tanks. In at least some of these cases, Krasnopol-guided artillery shells were deployed, according to military officials.
Russia Today
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ceasefire with Russia possible this year – Ukraine's top spy
A ceasefire in Ukraine could be reached this year despite the 'diametrically opposed' positions of both sides, the country's top military spy, Kirill Budanov, has claimed. The hostilities could be halted, but peacekeepers are unlikely to serve as a reliable security guarantee, Budanov, the chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), stated. He added that he could not recall a single conflict in which the deployment of peacekeepers has proven effective. Western nations previously brought up the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers. Budanov's remarks followed high-level US-Russia talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Tuesday, which centered on restoring relations and exploring potential peace talks. Ukraine and the EU were absent at the meeting, with Kiev insisting it won't recognize any outcome without its involvement. 'This is a paradoxical situation: despite the diametrically opposed starting positions of both sides, I believe that we will reach a ceasefire this year. How long it will last and how effective it will be is another question,' Budanov told Hromadske news outlet on Thursday. Last month, media reports suggested that Budanov said a during a closed-door meeting in parliament that Ukraine might not survive unless negotiations with Russia begin by this summer. The HUR has refuted the claims, saying the purported statements were false and taken out of context. According to Budanov, there is no framework, other than NATO membership, that can be considered a true security guarantee for Ukraine. In his view, all other options should be regarded merely as 'commitments to support.' Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky earlier suggested that at least 200,000 foreign troops would be needed for a sufficient security guarantee. However, European NATO allies are reportedly considering a much smaller force – an approach that, in Zelensky's words, would amount to 'nothing.' Meanwhile, the US has ruled out any involvement of its military or NATO as an organization in any potential peacekeeping arrangement. The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously warned that Moscow views any European peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine as a provocative step that could further escalate the conflict. Moscow has also insisted that any peace settlement must address the root causes of the conflict, including Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO. Ukraine must renounce its plans to join the military bloc and abandon its claims to Crimea, as well as four other regions that are now part of Russia. The formerly Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye joined Russia following a series of referendums in 2022. Crimea previously voted to join Russia in 2014.
Russia Today
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Criminal probe launched into reported comments by Ukraine's top spy
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has initiated a criminal investigation after media reports claimed Kiev's top military spy, Kirill Budanov, had warned a high-level meeting in the country's parliament that Ukraine could cease to exist if it does not engage in peace talks with Russia, a senior MP said on Friday in Kiev. Earlier this week, the news outlet claimed that Budanov, Ukraine's head of military intelligence, suggested during a closed session of the national parliament that Ukraine might not survive unless negotiations with Russia began by summer. The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense (HUR) has refuted these claims, asserting that the purported statements were false and taken out of context. MP Roman Kostenko, who is the secretary of the Verkhovna Rada's Defense Committee, announced that the SBU has launched a criminal probe into the unauthorized disclosure of information from that classified session. 'Some people, for the sake of hype, are trying to show that 'I know this.' But these are issues of state level, which are worth human lives, among other things,' Kostenko said. The lawmaker stressed that those responsible for disclosing the details of the closed hearing should be held accountable, as such leaks could compromise Ukraine's national security. He didn't specify, however, who exactly is being targeted in the investigation or if the probe was focused solely on the leak from the top-secret session of parliament. Previously, Kiev's top Ukrainian military commander, General Aleksandr Syrsky, had also called for the introduction of censorship of the press in the interest of national defense, citing a need to hide sensitive information from the public eye. Last month, the New York Times claimed that Kiev was considering a crackdown on Telegram, which has reportedly become the primary news source for roughly 70% of Ukrainians. Officials told the outlet that Telegram has also become a 'problem' for Kiev because it has little leverage over the app. Read more Ukrainian army faces 'desertion crisis' – Guardian Meanwhile, Ukraine has been facing growing pressure on the battlefield as Russian troops have continued to advance in multiple sectors, prompting Kiev's forces to withdraw from their positions. Ukrainian officials and commanders have been increasingly voicing concerns over manpower shortages amid a fraught mobilization campaign, with recruitment officers often facing open resistance from reluctant draftees. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin's senior aide, Nikolay Patrushev, also warned that Ukraine could cease to exist as a state during the coming year, suggesting that it was pointless to negotiate a resolution of the conflict with any other Western nation than the US. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it remains open to peace talks with Ukraine and with the US but has noted Kiev's reluctance to engage in negotiations, particularly as Vladimir Zelensky's ban on contact with Putin remains in effect.
