Head of President's Office Budanov says russia is still trying to kill him - media

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Office of the President, stated that russia still intends to eliminate him. This intention persists even now that he is part of the negotiating team tasked with ending the war.

He revealed this in an interview with the British newspaper The Times.

Despite heightened security measures at the Office of the President, threats to his life persist. He noted that there have already been at least ten assassination attempts.

"I must not trust anyone; I must achieve results," Budanov said.

According to him, the fact that moscow continues to hunt him down, even while he is conducting peace talks, is “absolutely normal.”

The Head of the President's Office gave his first interview to British media since his appointment to this position. Journalists from The Times noted that he arrived at the meeting with a gun in a holster.

There is no comprehensive public information about the assassination attempts, but some cases have been reported in the media. Specifically:

- In 2024: According to the SSU, preparations were underway for an attack on Budanov’s motorcade using ballistic missiles. Two colonels from the State Security Service, who were secretly working for the kremlin, were involved in the plot. Another participant was supposed to finish off the survivors with a drone. The suspects were detained.

- In 2023: General Budanov’s wife, Marianna Budanova, was poisoned with heavy metals, along with several intelligence officers. It is believed that russia was behind the operation, as it opposed the inner circle of the Defense Intelligence chief when Budanov headed intelligence;

- In 2019: an explosive device detonated under Budanov’s car, though this happened earlier than planned. The agent who planted it lost an arm. The intelligence chief himself then rushed to pursue a second attacker armed with a weapon, but the attacker fled.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, during a visit to Lithuania, Budanov emphasized that Ukraine is ready for serious talks with russia and consistently advocates for ending the war and establishing peace.