Budanov’s dismissal is a Christmas present for Putin
17 October 2024 12:42
ДУМКА
Yevhen Magda, political analyst
We have all recently witnessed an information attack on the head of the GUR, Kirill Budanov, by various media outlets. It was intended to create the impression that the GUR’s economy is facing many problems.
There is an interesting tandem fighting for Budanov’s dismissal, which was pointed out by Yulia Zabelina, a political commentator for Radio NV. It is the head of the OP Andriy Yermak and the deputy head of the SBU Oleksandr Poklad, with a number of MPs from the Servant of the People and, they say, businessman Maksym Krippa, who is an active buyer of various objects despite the ongoing war. Krippa, who came from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is certainly not the first or the last to join the SBU, but the scandalous trail still stretches behind him. Zabelina calls him the executor of Yermak’s orders in the context of the upcoming elections.
However, the first attack on the DIU chief failed. The main reasons for this were Budanov’s high authority in the Defence Forces and society, and the DIU’s constant demonstration of the results of its work behind enemy lines. Our Western partners did not like Yermak’s personnel “dances” either. In other words, the authority and reputation of the DIU chief have become a reliable protection for him.
Pay attention: Kyrylo Budanov (as I have already mentioned) is actually the only head of Ukraine’s security services who headed his agency before the start of the large-scale invasion. And it was he who warned of a possible Russian invasion in early 2022. The struggle against him seriously undermines the structure of not only the GUR, but also the Defence Forces as a whole.
Not everyone likes Budanov’s high media activity, but in the current situation, it plays the role of a protective barrier. However, Yermak does not like the fact that the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has access to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi by virtue of his job, and can provide him with alternative and more professional information from his own sources.
Will there be new attempts to fire Budanov? The Pechersk Hills have no doubt about this and assume that the fourth quarter of 2024 will be decisive in this matter. Even in times of war, they are trying to complete many things “under the Christmas tree”.
The information about the plans of Budanov’s opponents is, frankly, shocking. They are planning a carpet bombing of information against him, where commissioned investigations, parliamentary inquiries, and opinion leaders will become a kind of KAB. Everything, in short, as they like and know how. The campaign may culminate in accusations of collaboration with Russia, which are absurd in nature but extremely sensitive in a time of war. Labelling in a society with a low level of critical thinking is probably the best way to destroy the reputation of a successful general.
The DIU chief has powerful opponents who do not want to back down. The most interesting thing about this intricacy is that people who either say they are ready to do everything for the Victory or should bring it closer by their line of work are actually ready to play along with Russia. Playing along for their own benefit, because the replacement of the experienced head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine in the context of the ongoing Russian offensive and the high activity of the Kremlin’s agents looks, to put it mildly, inappropriate.
