Kyrylo Oleksiiovych Budanov (; born 4 January 1986) is a Ukrainian military leader who has served as the chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine since August 2020. Budanov previously served as the deputy director of one of the departments of the

Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (; ''SZRU''), or FISU, is an intelligence agency of the Ukrainian government. It carries out its intelligence activities in political, economic, military, scientific, technical information and ecologi ...

. He holds the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Early life and education

Budanov was born in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

on 4 January 1986. He graduated from the Odesa Institute of the Ground Forces in 2007.

Career

Following his 2007 graduation, Budanov started a military career in the special forces of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

Russo-Ukrainian War

In 2014, he took part in the

war in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...

, where he was wounded several times and reportedly participated in a number of classified special military operations. According to a 2024 report by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Budanov was one of the members of the elite Unit 2245 of the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate trained by

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

. ''The New York Times'' reports that Budanov gained a reputation for participating in bold operations behind enemy lines. In 2016, while still a lieutenant colonel, he reportedly led a special forces unit in an amphibious raid on Russian-occupied Crimea to plant explosives at an airfield. Budanov's unit was ambushed by a Russian commando unit after landing; the Ukrainian force killed several Russian soldiers before retreating to Ukrainian-controlled territory. According to ''The New York Times'', Budanov was brought to the United States for treatment at the

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC; formerly known as the National Naval Medical Center and colloquially referred to as Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed, or Navy Med) is a United States military medical center located in B ...

after being wounded in fighting in the Donbas. On 4 April 2019, Budanov's

Chevrolet Evanda The Daewoo Magnus is a mid-sized sedan developed and manufactured by Daewoo for model years 2000–2006 under a single generation, and marketed globally by GM Daewoo and other General Motors divisions, as well as GMDAT stake holder Suzuki. Deve ...

car was blown up by a Russian with documents in the name of "Alexei Lomaka", who planted a mine, but it detonated prematurely. The attacker and the sabotage group that were supposed to blow up Budanov were detained. In 2020, he became deputy director of one of the departments of the

. On 5 August 2020, President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

appointed Budanov as head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. On 11 March 2022 he became the chairman of the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. In September 2022, Budanov was involved in the largest prisoner exchange operation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, when 215 Ukrainian defenders returned home, including more than 100 fighters and commanders of the

Azov Regiment The 12th Special Forces Brigade "Azov" () is a formation of the National Guard of Ukraine formerly based in Mariupol, in the coastal region of the Sea of Azov, from which it derives its name. It was founded in May 2014 as the Azov Battalion (), ...

. In February 2023, the head of the

Servant of the People Servant of the People (; ''SN'') is a Liberalism, liberal, Centrism, centrist, Pro-Europeanism, pro-European List of political parties in Ukraine, political party in Ukraine. Since both the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election and the 2019 Ukra ...

parliamentary bloc,

Davyd Arakhamia Davyd Heorhiyovych Arakhamia (born 23 May 1979), also known by the pseudonym David Braun, is a Ukrainian politician and entrepreneur. He is a member of the Servant of the People political party. Arakhamia was elected to the Verkhovna Rada in 2 ...

, stated that

Oleksii Reznikov Oleksii Yuriiovych Reznikov (, ; born 18 June 1966) is a Ukrainian lawyer and politician who served as the List of Ministers of Defense (Ukraine), Minister of Defence of Ukraine from 4 November 2021 until his dismissal on 5 September 2023. ...

would be replaced by Budanov as defence minister. However, the replacement did not take place, and Budanov was not appointed.

Rustem Umerov Rustem Enverovych Umerov (, ; born 19 April 1982) is a Ukrainian politician, businessman, investor, philanthropist and the current Ministry of Defence (Ukraine), Defence Minister of Ukraine. Member of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in- ...

would eventually replace Reznikov. On 21 April 2023, the

Lefortovo District Lefortovo District ( rus, райо́н Лефо́ртово, a=Ru-Lefortovo.ogg, p=lʲɪˈfortəvə) is a district of South-Eastern Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow, Russia. Its area is . Population: History The Lefortovo Dis ...

court in Moscow, Russia issued an arrest warrant against Budanov in relation to the 2022 Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge. Budanov commented on the warrant, stating, "I am pleased. This is a good indicator of our work, and I promise to work even better." A spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence said in 2023 that there had been more than ten assassination attempts on Budanov. In November 2023 his wife, Marianna Budanova, was poisoned with unspecified heavy metals, probably from poisoned food, and several agency employees had mild symptoms of poisoning. On 8 February 2024, Budanov was recognized as a

Hero of Ukraine A Hero of Ukraine (HOU; ) is the highest national decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the president of Ukraine. The decoration was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma. As of 6 June 2025, the total number of re ...

by President Zelenskyy.

Military ranks

* Brigadier general (24 August 2021) * Major general (3 April 2022) *

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

(7 September 2023)

Awards

* Full Knight of the

Order for Courage The Order for Courage () is a Ukrainian award established by Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma on August 21, 1996. Design by Ukrainian artist Mykola Lebid. Awards of the President of Ukraine for Courage Before August, 1996, personal bravery ha ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Budanov, Kyrylo 1986 births Living people Military personnel from Kyiv Recipients of the Order of Gold Star (Ukraine) Lieutenant generals of Ukraine Ukrainian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Odesa Military Academy alumni Chevaliers of the Order For Courage Recipients of the Cross of Military Merit (Ukraine)