By Gloria Ogbonna
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday appointed the head of the country’s military intelligence service, Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, as his new chief of staff, a significant leadership reshuffle that comes at a critical moment in the war as the United States spearheads renewed diplomatic efforts to bring an end to Russia’s nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
Announcing the decision, Zelenskyy said the move reflects Ukraine’s urgent need to sharpen its focus on national security, the development of its defense and security forces, and ongoing peace negotiations with Moscow.
All of these areas fall under the authority of the president’s office, making the chief of staff role one of the most influential positions in the Ukrainian government.
“Ukraine must now concentrate on security issues, strengthening our defense capabilities, and advancing peace talks,” Zelenskyy said, adding that these priorities require experienced leadership with deep knowledge of intelligence and warfare.
Budanov replaces Andrii Yermak, whom Zelenskyy dismissed following the launch of an anti-corruption investigation into alleged graft within Ukraine’s energy sector. While Yermak had been a central figure in Ukraine’s wartime political leadership, the shake-up signals a shift toward a more security-driven approach as diplomacy and military pressure increasingly intersect.
At just 39 years old, Budanov is one of Ukraine’s most recognizable and popular wartime figures. He has led Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known as the GUR, since 2020 and has become a prominent public face of Kyiv’s intelligence operations since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
A career military intelligence officer, Budanov rose through Ukraine’s defense establishment in the years following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
He took part in numerous special operations and intelligence missions linked to the conflict with Moscow-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine and was reportedly wounded during one such operation.
Since the start of the full-scale war, Budanov has played a central role in shaping Ukraine’s intelligence strategy. He has frequently appeared in interviews and official briefings, combining strategic messaging with psychological pressure aimed at Moscow.
Budanov has consistently warned of Russia’s long-term ambitions toward Ukraine and the broader region, portraying the conflict as an existential struggle for Ukrainian statehood.
Under his leadership, the GUR significantly expanded its operational reach, coordinating intelligence gathering, sabotage efforts, and special operations designed to weaken Russian military capabilities far beyond the front lines.
Ukrainian officials have credited military intelligence with strikes against Russian command centers, logistics networks, energy infrastructure, and naval assets, including operations deep inside Russian territory and occupied regions.
Budanov’s appointment to head the office of the president marks an unusual and notable shift, placing a serving intelligence chief at the heart of Ukraine’s political and diplomatic coordination. Zelenskyy framed the move as part of a broader effort to align security policy, military development, and diplomacy under a unified leadership structure.
“Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results,” Zelenskyy said.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Budanov described his new role as both an honor and a heavy responsibility. “At a historic time for Ukraine,” he wrote, “this position requires a focus on the critically important issues of the state’s strategic security.”
The appointment comes as fighting continues across multiple regions and amid competing claims over recent attacks. Russian authorities said Friday that the death toll from what they described as a Ukrainian drone strike on a café and hotel in the Russian-occupied village of Khorly in Ukraine’s Kherson region had risen to 27.
Moscow alleged that more than 100 civilians were gathered there celebrating New Year’s Eve, and said the dead included two minors, with at least 31 people hospitalized.
Ukraine strongly denied targeting civilians. Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesman for Ukraine’s General Staff, told the public broadcaster Suspilne that Ukrainian forces adhere strictly to international humanitarian law and conduct strikes only against Russian military targets, energy infrastructure, and other lawful objectives.
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He accused Russia of repeatedly spreading disinformation to undermine ongoing peace negotiations. The Associated Press said it could not independently verify the competing claims.
Diplomatic efforts continue in parallel with the fighting. U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Wednesday that he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner held a “productive call” with national security advisers from Britain, France, Germany, and Ukraine to discuss next steps in the European peace process.
Those efforts, however, faced new complications earlier this week after Moscow said it would harden its negotiating position following what it claimed was a long-range Ukrainian drone attack on a residence linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin in northwestern Russia. Kyiv denied the allegation, calling it a pretext designed to derail negotiations.
In his New Year’s address, Zelenskyy said a peace deal was “90% ready,” but cautioned that the remaining 10%—believed to include sensitive issues such as territorial control—would ultimately determine “the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, and how people will live.”
Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued across Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Friday that Russian forces struck a residential area of Kharkiv with two missiles, injuring at least 15 people, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.
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— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 28, 2025
Earlier in the day, Russia carried out what local officials described as one of the largest drone attacks on Zaporizhzhia, with at least nine drones hitting the city and damaging dozens of residential buildings and civilian facilities, though no casualties were reported.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 116 long-range drones overnight, 86 of which were intercepted, while 27 reached their targets.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, in turn, claimed its air defenses intercepted 64 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions. In Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian missile strike injured two women and damaged buildings and vehicles.
Against this backdrop of continued violence and fragile diplomacy, Zelenskyy’s decision to elevate Budanov underscores Ukraine’s intent to tightly integrate intelligence, defense, and diplomacy as it navigates the most consequential phase of the war.
Source Breitbart
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