It takes a good dose of fear to paralyze a seasoned military intelligence officer. However, in March 2022 a Russian attack on the Ukrainian intelligence headquarters on the Ribalski Peninsula, on the Dnieper as it passes through Kyiv, crossed that threshold. The officers remember the “terror” generated by the impact of the missiles, the shattering of the windows and the lateral collapse of some old buildings. The men, who were waiting in a reception area for a meeting with their boss, fell to the ground. Moments later, a door opened and Major General Kirilo Budanov came out. “Everything is fine,” he growled, recalls one of those present; and then ordered them to get back to work. “He dusted himself off, put on his cap, and went outside to inspect the damage.”
General Budanov, 37, a former commando, is the youngest spy chief in Ukrainian history. As a mastermind of increasingly daring operations inside Russia, he has become a major nuisance to the Kremlin. His collaborators affirm that there have been “at least ten” attempts to end his life. In the last one, on May 29, the Ribalski building was attacked with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. However, they did not hit it nor did they hit the adjacent bridge, although they did cause some minor damage to a neighboring building. The next day, Vladimir Putin boasted that a “precision” attack had destroyed the entire complex. Pro-Kremlin media reported that General Budanov had been evacuated to Germany and that he was in an induced coma. The Economist can confirm that neither statement is true.
The spymaster’s office, his unhidden headquarters for 16 months, exudes a twilight, chaotic energy. Sandbags cover the windows. There are machine guns and armored vests on the floor. In one corner is a record player, though the Vivaldi playing comes from a YouTube playlist. The sense of absurdity is accentuated by the presence of an old frog that swims in an aquarium and a canary. On the wall hang memorabilia from General Budanov’s war. In an adjacent hallway hangs a photo of a March cross-border raid in Bryansk, Russia, allegedly the work of independent Russian partisans. A large screen, the only source of light in the room, displays a map of Moscow, the target of a drone strike in May.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for either of the two operations. However, General Budanov hardly respects the official ambiguity. “We are at war,” he says. “The drones over the Kremlin showed the world that the Russian defenses are nothing more than a Potemkin village.”
The aides crowd close to the general when he speaks. Under his leadership, the General Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (GUR) has become a fearless and autonomous authority that fights above its rank. It looks like a band. “Before we had managers, now we have a leader,” says a veteran officer. Oleg, an agent who has known General Budanov for decades, speaks approvingly of his ability to infect others with his fervor, comparing him to a snake that “hypnotizes you before going in for the kill. Content, measured, never giving in to panic. You do everything he asks of you ”.
General Budanov has adversaries inside and outside the country. The other security agencies are concerned about their power and resources. “It stands to reason that military intelligence becomes powerful during war,” says a rival officer. “Anyway, not much can be done now without his approval.” Even friends describe the head of military intelligence as “difficult.” Some find it hard to get along with him, says Brigadier General Dmitro Timkov, a partner in “dozens” of operations. “He does not adapt to other people’s opinions.” Young Budanov responded to the bosses if he thought they were wrong. However, his supporters say that he also has a “generous” side. A master of mind games in the outside world, Oleg claims, General Budanov has never used them on his colleagues. “He understands that you can’t cheat with cheaters.”
Volodimir Zelensky’s decision in 2020 to promote a little-known military chief came as a surprise to many. However, within the services, the name of Kirilo Budanov was already legendary. The Kremlin also knew about it. “He was the equivalent of showing them a warning sign,” says Andrii Yusov, a GUR officer. “It’s what convinced many of us of Zelensky’s national security credentials.”
The new spy chief was revered for leading a daring raid in 2016 that destroyed helicopters at the Dzhankoy airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea. The geography of the operation (in the backyard of the Russian security services) was very audacious. During the return, General Budanov’s team also clashed with Russian special forces and killed several soldiers, including a high-ranking commander. The Russians later retaliated for that raid with attacks of their own; They did not manage to kill him, but they did kill his direct superior.
General Timkov, considered the second-in-command in that raid, unconvincingly denies the operation. However, he offers another story that only adds to the legend of the spy boss. In early 2015, he says, the two were behind enemy lines in Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, when then-Lieutenant Colonel Budanov was injured by an antipersonnel mine. Shrapnel struck his neck and shoulder blade, and also just below his heart. “Kirilo asked us to abandon him.” However, the group refused, and through great willpower the wounded officer managed to cover more than two miles to reach safe territory. “He didn’t say anything the whole way. He gave no sign of pain.”
After his appointment as the new head of the GUR, General Budanov promoted the attitude of “everything is possible”. He garnered praise with a rescue mission to evacuate Afghans and other foreigners from Kabul in 2021. Though he really left his mark after the full-scale invasion. In the early days, when the saboteurs were operating in Kyiv, he was seen running around Ribalski with a machine gun. He led critical operations at the Góstomel, Irpin and Moschun airport outside Kyiv that narrowly halted the Russian advance. He sent supply and rescue helicopters into the cauldron of besieged Mariupol. He participated in many front line operations himself. That risk-taking worried some colleagues, who thought his boss should be better protected, “but it’s impossible to try to stop it.” The general says that he does it because other people are in danger. “There are lives at stake. There are no mistakes.”
Western partners describe the Ukrainian spy chief as a straightforward and incorruptible actor. According to Philip Ingram, a former colonel in British military intelligence, he has more information from the American and British intelligence services than the Germans or the French. Still, his bold displays are not welcomed by everyone. Some leaked documents show that the CIA had to intervene to prevent him from ordering an attack on Moscow on the anniversary of the invasion, in February. Since then, sabotage and incursions into Russia have raised fears among Ukraine’s allies of provoking a nuclear power. They are also aroused by General Budanov’s statements about bringing about a collapse of Russia.
Still, he says nine years of studying Russian aggression put him in a unique position to assess the risks of a nuclear escalation. “As the head of the intelligence services, I tell you clearly that this is not going to happen,” he says. “Despite all the antipathy I feel for the Russian Federation, there are not many idiots running the country.” He insists that peace is impossible without the strategic defeat of Russia and the “reshaping of power” in that country. “Either we all get out of the war at the same time, or one side will lose and the other will win. No other options.”
As the president’s confidant (in the government they are said to be soul mates), it is understood that he is playing an increasingly important role in the behind-the-scenes peace negotiations. Sources say he is a conduit for secret talks with the Chinese, and he has also been in contact with Yevgeni Prigozhin, the head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group.
In the course of the conversation it becomes clear that General Budanov has thought a lot about post-war Ukraine. Last winter there was talk of his possible appointment as defense minister. He insists that his only political ambition is victory over Russia. However, secret polls conducted by Zelensky’s office show that they are considering using the cult of their heroic spymaster to counter the (perceived) threat posed by Valeri Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s suave and independent commander-in-chief. General Budanov’s colleagues say they are convinced that he is destined to play an important political role once peace is achieved, if he lives to see it.
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© 2023 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved
Translation: Juan Gabriel López Guix
