Kyrylo Boudanov, head of the Ukrainian intelligence services, gave an interview to the military information site The War Zone. From being our peers Head Ladsday NewsThe senior official addressed several topics related to the war in Ukraine.
In his key statements, we note his clear opinion on the future of Vladimir Putin. He is to him “Impossible” The Russian president did not survive the war in Ukraine. He explains: “The Russian people will continue to support the government until it is defeated, but I expect Putin to be ousted. There are already talks in Russia about his successor. But whoever comes to power, Putin will be blamed for everything that went wrong. .”
So Kyrillo Budanov is determined to succeed in his family. According to him, this victory could only be achieved by pushing Russia to the borders of Ukraine (which included Crimea) when the country gained independence in 1991. Although he thought Ukraine could achieve this next year, he did not specify when exactly this would be done. “I don’t want to divulge too much about our military plan, but we should have reached that goal by next year.”He assures.
The intelligence chief also turned to the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in the conflict. “Russia is a terrorist country with nuclear weapons, so theoretically it is possible. However, we have not seen any preparatory activities of this kind. Meanwhile, the enemy accuses us of making a dirty bomb, but we will never stand for it. Through this lie, the Russians are trying to negotiate with us. They want pressure to come around the table.”
Weapons of concern from Iran
What worries Kyrillo Boudano, however, is Iran’s arms support in the conflict. We already know that Iranian drones have caused a lot of damage in Ukraine. “They should only be used to affect our energy infrastructure, but sometimes apartment buildings are also affected. When multiple floors collapse, many women and children are always killed.”says a senior official.
But that’s not all. Next month, Russia is also expected to acquire Iranian precision-guided missiles capable of striking at ranges of 300 to 700 kilometers. On this subject, Kyrillo Budanov says: “They pose a serious threat because they move very quickly and – unlike the Russians – are very accurate. We have to rely on our air defenses and hope that our allies will provide even more air defense systems.”.
Danger from Belarus?
The head of intelligence was also questioned about the threat posed by Belarus, where Russian soldiers could cut off supplies from Westerners. “Surely this is Russia’s dream”Kyrillo Budanov says. “But now there are only 4,300 soldiers in the region. 80% of the cases are still reservists. So there is no immediate invasion, but that could change soon if Kherson falls. Then the Russians will retreat towards Zaporizhia. Some may move towards Belarus and pose a new threat there. But we are not prepared for this situation. We are ready.”.
As for Kherson, the main city that Ukrainians want to take back from the Russians, the top official indicated that it would return to Ukraine. “By the end of next month”. Because if he recognizes that today highly trained Russian troops defend the city, he says, these elite soldiers are surrounded by many poorly trained and poorly equipped reservists. “Call them cannon fodder instead”Kyrillo Budanov concludes.
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