Budanov’s predictions about war that did not come true. VIDEO
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyrylo Budanov – then head of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence and now head of the President’s Office – has made a series of statements in interviews regarding the course of the war and has made predictions that have not come to pass.
This is reported by Censor.NET.
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In March 2022, whilst serving as head of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence, Budanov stated that Russian troops were exhausted.
In April 2022, commenting on the defence of Mariupol against the Russians, Budanov stated that "Mariupol will be unblocked and liberated".
In an interview with Sky News in May 2022, Budanov said that dictator Putin was seriously ill with cancer and that a coup was already underway in Russia with the aim of overthrowing Putin.
Regarding events on the front line, in an interview with the same publication, Budanov noted that "the turning point will come in the second half of August, and most active hostilities will be concluded by the end of this year (2022 – ed.)".
In an interview with UP in May 2022, Budanov said that by the end of 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces should at least have entered the territory of occupied Crimea.
Describing the end of the war, he noted that there were only two options: "The first is the division of Russia into three or more parts. And the second is the relative preservation of the Russian Federation’s territorial integrity alongside a change in the country’s leadership."
In June 2022, Budanov said that one should not expect Russia’s reserves to run out, so Ukraine would recapture territory as a result of a counter-offensive.
In September 2022, the then head of the Defence Intelligence said that by early 2023 the war with Russia would subside, and after the winter the conflict would begin to wind down, with the first stage seeing a return to Ukraine’s 1991 administrative borders. He also noted that Ukrainian troops could enter Russian-occupied Crimea as early as late spring 2023.
In October 2022, Budanov stated that the war should end by the summer of 2023.
In December 2022, Budanov said that "Russia’s defeat is a foregone conclusion".
In early January 2023, the head of the Defence Intelligence said that 2023 would be the year of Ukraine’s victory in the war against the Russian occupiers.
In late January 2023, Budanov stated that Ukraine should do everything possible to ensure that Crimea is liberated by summer.
In February 2023, Budanov did not rule out that the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ return to the 1991 borders might not mean the end of the war, and that Ukraine would then have to defend itself constantly.
Also, at that time, Budanov said that Ukraine had every chance of ending the war, started by the Russian Federation under the leadership of dictator Putin, with the restoration of all our borders as they stood in 1991 by this summer.
In February 2023, Budanov also said that the next three months of the war on the front line would be very intense and would determine the further course of events.
In March 2023, he also stated that the Russian economy would be unable to sustain an aggressive war in Ukraine within three months.
In April of that year, he noted that the Russian Federation faces "seismic changes" that will play a role in ending the war in Ukraine’s favour.
At the same time, in April 2024, Budanov did not rule out a Ukrainian counter-offensive during that year.
At the end of 2024, the head of the Defence Intelligence suggested that "in 2025 we will see many positive developments, which will ultimately bring us all what we have been so eagerly awaiting".
In January 2025, according to media reports, the SSU launched an investigation into the leak of remarks made by the head of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence, Kyrylo Budanov, at a closed session of the Verkhovna Rada. The media reported that he had allegedly stated at the time that Ukraine’s very existence could be under threat without negotiations to end the war.
