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Kyrylo Budanov

Kyrylo Budanov

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Appears in 2 stories

Born: 1986 (age 40 years), Kyiv, Ukraine
Spouse: Marianna Budanova (m. 2013)
Nationality: Soviet and Ukrainian
Office: Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
Education: Odesa Military Academy

Stories

Russia escalates strikes on eve of peace talks

Force in Play

Presidential Chief of Staff (former Military Intelligence Chief) - Appointed January 2, 2026 to lead Zelenskyy's office amid peace negotiations

Russia continues massive winter strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians amid advancing trilateral peace talks. A week after the February 4-5 Abu Dhabi round yielded a 314-POW exchange and US-Russia military dialogue, Russia launched major attacks including 408 drones/39 missiles on February 6-7 targeting energy substations and the February 13 assault with 219 drones/24 missiles killing one in Odesa. Zelenskyy accused Russia of bad faith while confirming a third round of talks for next week.

Updated Feb 13

Europe takes over Ukraine's eyes in the sky

Force in Play

Head of Office of the President (appointed January 2, 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. 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. Ukraine's military intelligence declined to comment when asked to confirm France's claim, and concerns about US intelligence leaks to Moscow have reportedly chilled Kyiv's information sharing with Washington.

Updated Jan 30