Zelensky’s team hopes Kirill Budanov can offset the popularity of former top general Valery Zaluzhny, RBK-Ukraine has reported
Chief of the Military Intelligence of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov / Maxym Marusenko © Getty Images Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s advisers believe the country’s chief spy can help him remain in power should elections take place in the country, the news outlet RBK-Ukraine reported on Monday. Zelensky, whose mandate expired in May 2024, claims martial law prevents him from holding fresh elections, but local media has reported growing expectations that campaigning will resume if the conflict with Russia is resolved. Public support for Zelensky and his ‘Servant of the People’ political party has dwindled, according to opinion polls, while members of the military are broadly popular in Ukraine. Kirill Budanov, chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense (HUR), is perceived as a major player in potential future presidential elections, according to RBK-Ukraine, citing anonymous sources. An internal government survey conducted last spring ranked him as the second most promising candidate after former top general Valery Zaluzhny, insiders have told the outlet. Last May, Zelensky dismissed Zaluzhny as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, prompting some observers to link the general’s departure to his high public approval, which has reportedly surpassed that of the country’s leader. Zelensky’s team has also reportedly offered Zaluzhny the opportunity to lead his party as an alternative to running for president. The four-star general, who is now Kiev’s ambassador to the UK, has not commented on his political plans.
Sources close to military intelligence told RBK-Ukraine that Budanov has not made a decision regarding whether he wants to go into politics. Government insiders have said Zelensky’s advisers view him as a possible counterweight to Zaluzhny. Military endorsements of political parties would be valuable before a possible parliamentary election, the report stated, and many politicians are courting Zaluzhny for his support. Zelensky’s ‘Servant of the People’ party won a majority in the parliament in 2019 soon after his landslide presidential win. However, the brand has become “toxic,” RBK-Ukraine reports and insiders expect it to be renamed ‘The Zelensky bloc’ or something similar. The party is currently projected to win only one fifth of the seats in a new parliamentary election, depending on the terms of a potential peace settlement with Russia and Zelensky’s ability to present it to the public as a victory. Moscow has indicted Budanov as a terrorist for his suspected role in orchestrating deadly sabotage attacks within Russia. The HUR has been accused of masterminding the 2022 truck bombing of the Crimean Bridge and dozens of other acts of terrorism.
