President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, as the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Budanov stated that he views this position as a threshold of responsibility and will focus on issues of the state’s strategic security.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, to lead the Office of the President.
Zelenskyy announced this himself.
According to the President, Ukraine currently needs greater focus on the following issues:
- security,
- development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine,
- as well as the diplomatic track in negotiations.
The Office of the President will primarily be tasked with fulfilling these objectives.
“Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results,” Zelenskyy stated.
The Head of State instructed the new Head of the Office of the President, in cooperation with the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, and other relevant leaders and institutions, to update and submit for approval the strategic foundations of Ukraine’s defense and development, as well as subsequent steps.
The proposal was later accepted. Kyrylo Budanov announced this in his statement, emphasizing his readiness to continue serving Ukraine in a new position of responsibility.
According to him, leading the Office of the President at a historic moment for the country is a great honor and a great responsibility.
Among his key priorities, he named issues of Ukraine’s strategic security.
“I continue to serve Ukraine. I view the position of Head of the Office of the President as another threshold of responsibility to the country. For me, it is an honor and a responsibility – at a historic time for Ukraine – to focus on critically important issues of our state’s strategic security. Thank you for the trust!” Budanov wrote.
He also thanked his combat brothers and the team of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for their joint work, stressing that the fight against the enemy, the defense of the state, and efforts toward a just peace are ongoing.
“We continue together to fight for a free and secure future of Ukraine,” he noted.
Who will replace General Budanov as Head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence remains unknown.
Kyrylo Budanov was born on January 4, 1986, in Kyiv.
In 2007, he graduated from the Odesa Institute of Ground Forces and received his first military rank — lieutenant. After graduation, he served in the special forces of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, holding various positions. In 2010, he was promoted to senior lieutenant, and in 2013 — to captain.
It was in this rank that Kyrylo Budanov faced the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine in 2014.
Beginning in 2014, Captain Budanov, as a representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, actively participated in military operations against Russian occupiers in eastern Ukraine. During this period, he sustained several injuries.
Even before Budanov became head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, several assassination attempts were carried out against him.
On April 3, 2022, following the liberation of northern Ukraine, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence was promoted to major general, and a year and a half later, on September 7, 2023, he received the rank of lieutenant general.
As a reminder, on November 28, detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine conducted searches at the home of the then Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak. The investigative actions were related to the high-profile “Midas” case, which concerns a large-scale corruption scheme at Energoatom.
On the same day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine must preserve its internal strength and not be distracted by anything other than defense. Therefore, he decided to carry out a reboot of the Office of the President. In particular, Yermak submitted a resignation letter.
A few hours later, it became known that the Head of State had signed a decree dismissing Yermak from the position of Head of the Office of the President. And on December 5, Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed Andriy Yermak from the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and from the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
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