HUR Chief Budanov Vows ‘Retaliatory Actions Within Russia’ Following His Wife Poisoning

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR), admitted in an interview with the French edition of Liberation that he knows who is behind the poisoning of his wife Marianna.

“I think that in the near future you will see corresponding actions on Russian territory, and everyone will understand this,” Budanov said.

When asked by journalists whether he knew who was responsible for the poisoning, Budanov briefly replied: “Of course, I do!” adding that his wife’s condition has improved.

“My wife is feeling better. Since I wasn’t poisoned, it’s difficult for me to say whether it was an attempt on my life. But I’ve already survived many attempts and will probably survive many more,” he said.

In late January of this year, Kyiv Post sources in Ukrainian military intelligence reported that Marianna Budanova was “feeling much better” after being poisoned along with a number of HUR employees on Nov. 28, 2023.

At the time, doctors believed that Budanov’s wife was suffering from heavy metal poisoning. She is currently undergoing treatment, which, as Kyiv Post’s sources emphasized, is currently being carried out in Ukraine.

“The investigation is ongoing, and interim results have not yet been disclosed,” the source said.

In accordance with the Intelligence Law, the investigation is being conducted by the HUR’s own internal security unit.

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Several other HUR employees reportedly also had mild symptoms of poisoning.

Russian special services have been repeatedly accused of using poisonous substances to carry out assassination attempts often using material, including heavy metals, that are not usually found in lethal quantities in everyday life.

The head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, was personally the target of at least 10 Russians assassination attempts, one of which, a car bombing, resulted in serious injuries.