The President's Office is planning to dismiss Kyrill Budanov from his position as head of the Main Intelligence Directorate and appoint a "more loyal individual" in his place.
This information comes from NV, citing a source in Ukraine's security and defense sector.
How often do the leaders of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense change?The infographic shows who has held the position of head of the Main Intelligence Directorate and for how long. Kyrill Budanov has been in this role for over four years.According to journalists, Budanov may be dismissed as early as next month. It is claimed that one of the main advocates for this process is the head of the President's Office, Andrey Yermak.
There are reports that some in Bankova are dissatisfied with certain public actions and statements made by Budanov that have "harmed Ukraine." This includes, in particular, special operations in Africa, comments about "coffee in Crimea," and defense procurement.
"There is an objective reality and objectively incorrect decisions. Should there be accountability for this? The President will decide," stated the source.
It is rumored that the new head of the GUR may be Alexander Poklad, the deputy head of the SBU. However, this information is denied by the SBU.
They stated that "information leaks regarding the deputy head of the SBU appear systematically once a month and have a similar style," and their themes are "quite broad."
"Such information leaks from Russian special services are completely unfounded and are used by the enemy solely for achieving their own goals. Rumors about blocking any GUR units or other components of the defense forces are part of a hostile strategy. In particular, to create artificial tension between the military leadership of our state," the SBU reported.
Furthermore, it remains unclear what position Budanov might be transferred to if dismissed. According to journalists, he does not intend to lead the Armed Forces and is not considering the possibility of becoming an ambassador.
It is worth noting that rumors about Budanov's potential dismissal surfaced in the media at the end of September after Defense Minister Rustem Umerov dismissed two of his deputies.
President Volodymyr Zelensky subsequently assured that he does not plan to dismiss the current head of the Main Intelligence Directorate.