The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov gave an interview to the British publication Financial Times, where, in particular, he commented on the counteroffensive, raids in Crimea and the need for mobilization.
“Fleet 2017” collected the main theses of the head of the State Government.
Evaluation of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in 2023
The head of GUR believes that 2024 will be a testing year for Ukraine, and the counteroffensive that began last year will continue.
“To say that everything is fine is not true,” Budanov answered when asked about Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year, which, according to the Western publication, “did not achieve its goals.” “To say that there is a catastrophe is also not true.”
“The whole legend about Russia’s power is a bubble,” he added.
About the need for mobilization in Ukraine
Kyrylo Budanov emphasized the need for mobilization in Ukraine. He noted that “one cannot even think that we can do without mobilization.”
The head of intelligence said that the Ukrainian army has a significant shortage of people, but the enemy also has problems with this. According to him, Russia is losing as many or even more soldiers than it is able to mobilize.
Attacks in the rear of Russia
The head of the GUR promises to continue striking critical objects on the territory of Russia, despite the “concerns” of Western partners.
“We do not foresee drastic changes in the near future. Everything we have done, we will continue to do,” he said.
The publication adds that “the head of intelligence (Kyril Budanov) is unmoved by such concerns and promises to continue operating deep inside Russia to sabotage Putin’s military machine.”
North Korea is the largest supplier of weapons to Russia
According to the head of intelligence, the largest supplier of weapons to Russia is North Korea. In his opinion, without the military aid of the DPRK, the situation for the occupiers “would be catastrophic” in Ukraine.
“They (DPRK military – ed.) really handed over a significant amount of artillery ammunition. This allowed Russia to breathe a little. Without their help, the situation would be catastrophic,” he said.
The head of intelligence noted that Russia does not publicly admit that it needs foreign aid, because “it has always been considered below them, it is a humiliation.
Budanov was intrigued by the announcement of Prigozhin’s death
The GUR does not have 100% information that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the “Wagner” Communist Party, really died in a plane crash last year. According to Budanov, “there is no proof that he is dead.”
“Wagner” exists, but if we talk about Prigozhin, I would not rush to conclusions. I am not saying that he is not dead or that he is dead,” he commented on Prigozhin’s death.
“We kept our promise” – Budanov about Crimea
The head of the GUR believes that he “kept his promise” to be in Crimea in 2023, meaning that intelligence special forces are making their way to the peninsula to carry out raids on Russian bases.
“Although the initial plans were different, we kept our promise. This summer, our units repeatedly entered Crimea,” he said.
We will remind, earlier ” Flot 2017 ” wrote that Budanov talked about the strategic tasks of Ukraine .
Budanov also stated that the Russian regime will not be able to implement any plan in 2024 .
Флот 2017
