Kyrylo Budanov is the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine since January 2, 2026.
He was previously the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine
Lieutenant General. Holder of the Order "For Courage". Hero of Ukraine.
Born on January 4, 1986 in Kyiv
Education
He received his military education at the Odesa Institute of Land Forces (2003-2007), Faculty of Airborne Forces. After graduation, he served in the Special Forces units of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine
Career
Since 2007, he has been serving in the DIU Special Forces
In 2018-2020, he performed secret tasks
2020 - Deputy Director of the Department of the Foreign Intelligence Service
On August 5, 2020, by the Decree of the President of Ukraine was appointed Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine
Since May 2022, he has been the Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and since July 2022, the Intelligence Committee under the President of Ukraine
In September 2023, he entered the postgraduate program of Ostroh Academy
In 2024, he graduated from the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, Strategic Architecture course
On January 2, 2026, he accepted the offer of the President of Ukraine to head the Office of the President of Ukraine
Russian-Ukrainian war
Since 2014, he has been participating in the Russian-Ukrainian war, sustained three injuries. For the most part, information about special operations involving Kyrylo Budanov since 2014 remains closed. Only some episodes have become public
In 2018-2020, he performed secret missions
In 2016, he took part in the special operation "Raid on Crimea". The special operation lasted from August 6 to 8. A group of 5 special forces, led by the current Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, landed on the western coast of the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. The purpose of the landing was to deliver weapons and explosives to a specially prepared location near Russian military facilities that Russia could use in the event of a full-scale aggression against Ukraine. During the raid, Kirill Budanov's group had to engage in a battle with the Russian special forces group Vympel. According to Kyrylo Budanov himself, the battle lasted two minutes - the Ukrainians destroyed the enemy forces along with their commander, a hero of the First and Second Chechen Wars[11]. Then, FSB lieutenant colonel Roman Kamenev and lieutenant of the 247th Air Assault Regiment of the Russian Federation Semyon Sychev were killed. Several other FSB officers were injured. Kirill Budanov's group left the peninsula without losses
After the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, special units of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine under the command of Kyrylo Budanov disrupted the operation of a large-scale landing of airborne and special forces units to rapidly enter the city of Kyiv, Gostomel airport (the Battle for Gostomel Airport)
In March 2022, Kyrylo Budanov planned an air operation to attack Azovstal. As part of the operation, seven helicopter flights took place between March and May, carried out by the Ukrainian Air Force and the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. The purpose of the operation was to provide an air bridge for the supply of ammunition, medicine, communications equipment, new forces, and evacuation of the seriously wounded
In 2022, under the command of Kyrylo Budanov, there were also battles involving the DIU's special forces to liberate Bucha, Irpin, Kapitanivka, Dmytrivka, and defend Sievierodonetsk
According to certain sources, in April 2022, he personally participated in a special operation of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine to liberate the village of Ruska Lozova in Kharkiv region from Russian groups. The de-occupation was carried out by the Kraken military intelligence unit
As the head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, he organizes and coordinates the exchange of prisoners of war. In particular, in September 2022, Budanov took part in the largest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, when 215 Ukrainian defenders, including more than 100 Azov fighters and commanders, returned home
Planned a special operation to liberate the Boyko Towers (August 2023) and participated in the planning of the de-occupation of Zmiinyi Island (June-July 2022). Both locations were strategically important for Ukraine's restoration of the Black Sea shipping corridor
In August and October 2023, under the command of the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, the DIU units conducted the first raids to the territory of the occupied Crimean peninsula in the full-scale phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war during the full-scale phase, landing near Cape Tarkhankut
During the full-scale phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Ukraine's military intelligence drones attacked the Senate Palace in the Kremlin, airfields, seaports, weapons depots, air and missile defense systems, A-50 long-range reconnaissance aircraft in Belarus and other enemy combat aircraft, and oil refining infrastructure
Under Budanov's leadership, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine developed the Magura V5 multi-purpose surface unmanned boats. During 2023-2024, the DIU Group-13 unit used these drones to carry out a series of successful attacks on the boats of the Russian Black Sea Fleet based off the coast of Crimea
In April 2023, the Lefortovo Court of Moscow arrested in absentia Kirill Budanov on charges of creating a terrorist organization, preparing for a terrorist attack as part of an organized group, and trafficking in weapons and explosive devices
On September 7, 2023, by the order of President Zelensky, he was promoted to Lieutenant General.
On January 2, 2026, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had proposed Kirill Budanov to head the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Attempted assassination in 2019
The Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, survived more than ten attempts on his life. In particular, on April 4, 2019, Budanov's Chevrolet Evanda was blown up by a Russian with documents named Oleksiy Lomaka. He planted a mine, but it detonated prematurely. The attacker and the sabotage group were detained.
Ideas and views
Budanov was convinced of Russia's intentions to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and significantly expand the battlefield. He actively promotes the idea that it is necessary to return the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine's control and to drive Russian military forces out of the Black Sea as a key element in defeating Russia
Family
His wife Marianna (since 2013) is a psychologist by education, in 2015-2017 she was engaged in volunteer activities at the Main Military Hospital in Kyiv, candidated for deputies of the Kyiv City Council from the Udar party (2020), adviser to Vitali Klitschko on the detection and prevention of corruption in the field of youth policy and sports.
On November 28, 2023, it became known that Marianna Budanova was poisoned with heavy metals
Kirill Budanov and his wife Marianna Budanova are believers of the OCU
Hobbies
He loves animals, has a cat, a canary and two frogs in his office. As a child, he was fond of films starring French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, especially the movie The Professional. As a child, he went swimming.