Pull to refresh
Logo
Daily Brief
Following Why Ranks Sign Up
Kyrylo Budanov

Kyrylo Budanov

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Appears in 3 stories

Born: 1986 (age 40 years), Kyiv, Ukraine
Spouse: Marianna Budanova (m. 2013)
Nationality: Soviet and Ukrainian
Office: Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
Education: Odesa Military Academy

Notable Quotes

"Our actions in the Black Sea are preparations for a serious operation in Crimea." — Kyrylo Budanov, GUR statement

It would be critical if a political decision were made to block the contracts. In that case, we would fall to almost zero.

Stories

Ukraine's four-year campaign to dismantle Russia's Black Sea Fleet

Force in Play

Appointed Zelenskyy's chief of staff in January 2026

Ukraine struck two large Russian Navy landing ships — the Yamal and the Nikolai Filchenkov — docked in Sevastopol Bay on April 20, disabling an estimated $150 million in naval assets and destroying a Podlet-K1 radar station. The same night, drones hit the Tuapse oil refinery in Krasnodar for the second time in a week, igniting tank farm fires at one of Russia's ten largest refineries. These were the latest in a sustained campaign that has forced Russia's Black Sea Fleet to abandon its historic base in Crimea and retreat to Novorossiysk — where it is still being hit.

Updated Apr 20

Russia escalates strikes on eve of peace talks

Force in Play

Appointed January 2, 2026 to lead Zelenskyy's office amid peace negotiations

Russia continues massive winter strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians amid advancing trilateral peace talks. A week after the February 4-5 Abu Dhabi round yielded a 314-POW exchange and US-Russia military dialogue, Russia launched major attacks including 408 drones/39 missiles on February 6-7 targeting energy substations and the February 13 assault with 219 drones/24 missiles killing one in Odesa. Zelenskyy accused Russia of bad faith while confirming a third round of talks for next week.

Updated Feb 13

Europe takes over Ukraine's eyes in the sky

Force in Play

Leading presidential office with focus on security, defense forces development, and diplomatic negotiations

For nearly three years after Russia's 2022 invasion, Ukraine relied on American satellites and signals intelligence for roughly 75-80% of its battlefield awareness. In ten months, France claims to have replaced most of that. President Macron announced on January 15, 2026, that France now provides two-thirds of Ukraine's intelligence—a restructuring forced by Washington's March 2025 decision to suspend most intelligence sharing as leverage in peace negotiations. Yet Macron's assertion contradicts Ukraine's own intelligence officials: the former GUR chief stated in December 2025 that the US remained the key provider. Ukraine's military intelligence declined to comment when asked to confirm France's claim, and concerns about US intelligence leaks to Moscow have reportedly chilled Kyiv's information sharing with Washington.

Updated Jan 30