Kyrylo Budanov

Force in Play

Leading Zelenskyy's office amid peace negotiations; told Suspilne Ukraine proposed a broader ceasefire that Putin rejected

Russia escalated missile and drone strikes in the week before the first trilateral talks since February, damaging energy facilities in 12 regions on Nov 9. At least four people were killed in attacks on Odesa and the Kyiv region, a 2-year-old was injured in Kharkiv, and Dnipro and Kamianske lost power.

Updated 2 days ago

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Appointed Zelenskyy's chief of staff in January 2026

On April 20, Ukraine struck two large Russian Navy landing ships — the Yamal and the Nikolai Filchenkov — in Sevastopol Bay, 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 May 31

Force in Play

As of May 2026: 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, but 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, and concerns about US intelligence leaks to Moscow have reportedly chilled Kyiv's information sharing with Washington.

Updated May 21