KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Kyrylo Budanov, head of military intelligence, as his new chief of staff on Friday, filling a week-long vacancy created by the resignation of Zelensky's right-hand man over a corruption scandal. The departure in November of chief adviser Andriy Yermak, who also served as Kyiv's chief peace negotiator, paved the way for political reforms that had long been delayed by the war. At the same time, however, it left Mr Zelensky without his chief enforcer at a delicate moment in negotiations with the United States to end the war with Russia.
The appointment of Mr Budanov (39) moves one of Ukraine's most prominent generals into a political role as the country begins to discuss the possibility of elections if a ceasefire with Moscow can be achieved. At the same time, it removes the famous spy chief from his post, shaking up the leadership of Ukraine's intelligence services. Mr Budanov is seen as a potential rival to Mr Zelensky as the United States and Russia call for elections in Ukraine. Budanov's move to the presidential office suggests that he will not compete with Mr Zelensky in the presidential election, political analysts said.
When announcing his appointment, Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine „needs to focus more on security issues“, develop its defence and security forces, and make further progress in diplomatic negotiations. „Kyrylo has specialised experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results,“ Mr Zelensky wrote on social media. In his own online post, Mr Budanov said his new role was „an honour and a responsibility at a historic time for Ukraine“.
Mr Budanov has strong ties to the United States, which could be important in Ukraine's peace negotiations with the Trump administration. He was trained under a CIA-backed programme and, after being wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine, was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Maryland, a rare accommodation for a Ukrainian soldier. Mr Zelensky decided to appoint Mr Budanov after a round of talks with the Trump administration in Florida last month, according to a Ukrainian official familiar with the situation. Mr Zelensky realised he would need a top adviser who was respected in Washington and European capitals and who would be able to help manage the entire process, the official said.
Mr Budanov is expected to promote a greater role for so-called asymmetric strategies in the Ukrainian army – tricks, finesse and creative use of new technologies, for which he was known in the military intelligence agency – rather than direct combat with the larger Russian army. Mr Zelensky appointed Mr Budanov as his chief of military intelligence in 2020. At that time, at the age of just 34, he had already gained a reputation for daring covert operations that sometimes pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable to the Ukrainian leadership and its Western allies. Under his leadership, the military intelligence service, known as H.U.R., carried out assassinations and sabotage missions behind enemy lines, even on Russian territory.
In 2016, he led a team of commandos to the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula, where they planned to plant explosives at an airport. When Russian fighters caught them, Mr. Budanov's unit fought back and killed several Russians, including the son of a general. The Ukrainians had to swim back to Ukrainian-controlled territory, but suffered no casualties. The operation angered the White House, which feared provoking Russia, and drew an angry rebuke from Joseph R. Biden Jr., then vice president. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Mr. Budanov has become one of the most recognisable figures of the war — despite the fact that he was largely responsible for covert operations.
His stony expression inspired memes about Ukraine's steely resolve, and the Kremlin added Mr. Budanov's name to its list of foreign terrorists. Mr. Budanov also maintained contacts with the Russian side as part of his mandate to negotiate prisoner exchanges — something unique among Ukraine's senior leadership. Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, was named Budanov's successor at the SBU. Mr. Budanov's appointment to the presidential office capped weeks of speculation about who would fill the position vacated by Mr. Yermak. He resigned after law enforcement agencies searched his apartment as part of an investigation into embezzlement at a state-owned nuclear power plant. Mr Yermak has not been charged.
Mr Zelensky held talks with potential candidates in December, but took his time selecting and appointing Mr Budanov. The delay came at a time when the latest peace talks raised the possibility of elections – and Mr Zelensky's final choice was seen as a harbinger of post-war politics in Ukraine. The current draft peace agreement requires Ukraine to hold elections as soon as possible after the agreement is signed. Mr Zelensky has said he is open to holding elections, but that a ceasefire must be in place before any vote can take place. Russia, which has demanded that Ukraine hold elections, has refused to agree to a ceasefire.
The Ukrainian president has not directly stated whether he will run in future elections. Budanov's entry into the presidential office brings a potentially strong competitor into Zelensky's inner political circle and turns him into a likely ally in any election. Recent polls have shown that Mr Budanov would defeat Mr Zelensky in a two-round presidential election in Ukraine. The poll also showed that Valery Zaluzhny, a former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army who is now Kiev's ambassador to Britain, would also be a strong candidate.
nytimes.com/gnews.cz-jav
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