Kirill Budanov says he has been wounded multiple times during the conflict in Donbass
FILE PHOTO. Kirill Budanov. © Getty Images / Anadolu Agency / Gian Marco Benedetto
The head of the Ukrainian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), Kirill Budanov, has claimed to have been wounded three times during armed hostilities in Donbass. The spy chief described the incidents in an interview on Thursday with Ukrainian media.
Budanov stated that the worst of his injuries was caused by an anti-personnel mine dispersing multiple fragments, one which one hit him near the heart. Aside from that, the spy chief claimed he received a gunshot wound to his elbow.
While the official did not elaborate on when or where the incidents occurred, he appeared to be referring to the years-long conflict between post-Maidan Ukraine and the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, which preceded the ongoing hostilities between Kiev and Moscow, raging since February 2022.
In recent months, Budanov has built up a substantial media presence, giving frequent interviews to domestic and foreign media, and making increasingly belligerent statements.
Early this month, for instance, Budanov declared, “We’ve been killing Russians, and we will keep killing Russians anywhere on the face of this world until the complete victory of Ukraine.”
He doubled down on the threat last week, claiming responsibility for assassinating “many” Russian public figures. The spy boss, however, did not provide any names, stating only that “we have already gotten many, including public and media personalities.”
