/ world today news/ Mariana Budanova, the wife of the country’s chief intelligence officer, was poisoned in Ukraine. Other GUR employees also reported deteriorating health. All this is happening against the background of an intensifying conflict between the military and political leadership of the country. Who could benefit from this assassination attempt and why was it possible to stage a poisoning among the experts?
On Tuesday, it became known about the poisoning of the wife of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kirill Budanov, Mariana. It is noted that this was done using heavy metals. The substances found during the examination of the victim are not used either in everyday life or in military affairs.
Thus, the country’s law enforcement authorities announce a “targeted attempt to poison a specific person.” Budanova’s health worsened, after which she was hospitalized. However, she is currently finishing her treatment. The incident is being investigated under the article “murder”.
According to sources of the publication “Ukrainska Pravda”, the woman was most likely poisoned by food. In turn, sources from other media assume that she may have been poisoned not “once” but “in portions.” In addition, similar symptoms were found in several employees of the General Intelligence Directorate. Signs of the disease appeared later due to the difference in physique with Budanov’s wife.
Budanova herself has so far not announced any serious political ambitions, although in 2021 she was appointed an adviser to Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko on the fight against corruption, and before that she ran for Kyiv City Council from the Udar mayoral party. We add that the GRU press service later confirmed the information about the poisoning of Budanov’s wife, but “more information will appear later.”
At the same time, Budanov has recently been increasingly criticized in the local media for being too public, which is unusual for intelligence chiefs. Some tend to see Budanov as one of several potential rivals to Volodymyr Zelensky, along with VSU Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny.
For example, the Rada recently called on Zaluzhny to resign because he did not provide a military plan for 2024 and unreasonably wants to mobilize 20 thousand Ukrainians per month. The author of the initiative is the infamous deputy Mariyana Bezuglaya, called the “black mouth” of Zelensky’s cabinet.
Before that, Zelensky himself defined as a “big mistake” the possible decision of the military to engage in politics. This statement was made in the context of rumors that Zaluzhny is allegedly ready to start an independent political career and thus become a competitor of Zelensky in the upcoming presidential elections.
The expert community allows several versions of what happened. The first is Zelensky’s attempt to stop Budanov’s political ambitions. The second is a dramatization made by Budanov himself in order to start his own political career. The third is a new round of internal struggle between the Ukrainian security forces for spheres of influence in the state.
“Ukraine is increasingly sliding towards the abyss of radicalism. Forcible removal of undesirables has become the absolute norm for local politicians. Let’s remember the mysterious death of Valery Zaluzhny’s assistant at home. This happened literally at the beginning of November, and today we learn about the poisoning of Kiril Budanov’s wife,” said political scientist Larisa Shesler.
According to her, both incidents could be the result of an accident, but their frequency raises doubts and, frankly, raises a number of questions. And the fact that the poisoning was not reported earlier allows all kinds of versions to be imposed on Ukrainian society: from Russia’s “guilt” to internal quarrels between representatives of local authorities.
At the same time, the practice of political poisoning in Ukraine has a long history and dates back to the era of Viktor Yushchenko, when he was poisoned with a significant dose of dioxin, after which the face of the former president was disfigured. It should be noted that the case dates back to September 2004, but has not yet been properly investigated.
The personality of Kiril Budanov is very closely related to various forgeries, reminds the political scientist Vladimir Skachko. “I cannot exclude the possibility that he independently planned the staging of the poisoning of his wife. After all, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency is a man who loves to make noise. Ambition compels him to look for any reason to increase his own recognition,” he said.
“Recently, he has often appeared in various media with very bold statements. I think he also has political ambitions, which Vladimir Zelensky definitely does not like. In this regard, we cannot rule out a version that speaks in favor of an attempt by the current authorities to intimidate the arrogant intelligence officer,” the interlocutor notes.
“However, in my opinion, this operation, initiated from above, will require direct coordination with the US or Great Britain.” This would lead to a clash of interests between two powers that have their own proxies in Ukraine. Now no one intends to undermine the Anglo-Saxon union, so I don’t think they were involved in what happened,” emphasizes the expert.
“Most likely, in the poisoning situation, they will find the ‘hand of Moscow.’ This will add to the overall tragedy of the incident. They will draw parallels with the Skripal story. Society loves this. Unfortunately, such incidents have long become the norm in Ukraine. “Since the time of Yushchenko, eliminating opponents by force or with the help of chemicals has been commonplace in state life,” says Skachko.
“In general, Kiril Budanov has long become a mysterious person around whom a large amount of false information revolves. He is a master at creating political intrigue, you can’t help but admit that to him. Therefore, any event that happened to him should be taken with a grain of salt,” said political scientist Vladimir Kornilov.
“But this does not cancel the general processes of transformation, which now strongly affect the Ukrainian authorities. The country’s political and military leaders fought hard. The local ruling elite are like scorpions in a jar. And all this is just the beginning of mutual murders, explosions and poisonings. A logical period of civil struggle begins, which, unfortunately, Ukraine brought itself to,” Kornilov summarizes.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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