On Tuesday this week, it became known that Marianna Budanova, the wife of Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, has been admitted to hospital with symptoms compatible with heavy metal poisoning.
The news was first reported by the website Babel and later The Kyiv Independentboth of which relied on anonymous Ukrainian intelligence sources.
In a comment to Radio Free Europe, Andrij Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence, has confirmed that Budanova has been poisoned.
At the same time, Ukrainska Pravda reports that she should be on the road to recovery.
The intelligence chief’s wife is allegedly poisoned
– The wife was the target
On Wednesday, AFP reports that Ukraine points to Russia as responsible for the poisoning, in an attempt to target Kyrylo Budanov.
– The wife became the target because it is unreasonable to reach him directly, says Jusov to the news agency.
Budanova is said to have been poisoned with mercury and arsenic, probably via the food, he further states.
– Putin will insist
Being investigated as attempted murder
So far, no one has been arrested in the case, according to The Moscow Times is being investigated as attempted murder.
Russian authorities have also not commented on the claims from Ukraine.
It is unclear exactly when Budanova was poisoned, but Ukraine believes it may have been going on over time.
E-JEF: Kyrylo Budanov heads the Ukrainian intelligence service, and is, so to speak, a favorite target for Russia. Photo: AFP / NTB Show more
Unconscious on bench
It is not the first time that the Russians have been accused of poisoning their opponents.
In 2020, Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was hospitalized in Berlin after showing symptoms of poisoning.
German, French and Swedish experts have later stated that he must have been poisoned with the Russian-developed, military nerve agent Novichok.
In 2018, Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were hospitalized in England after being found unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury. Later it was established that both had been poisoned with a nerve agent, and the British authorities pointed to Russia.
2023-11-29 22:34:49
#Pointing #Russia
