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Kirill Budanov

Kirill Budanov

1986 - born in Kyiv.
2007 - graduated from the Odessa Institute of Land Forces.
2007–2020 – served in various positions in special units of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
2020-08 - appointed Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
2022-03 - headed the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
2024-02 - Awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order of the Golden Star.
2026-01-02 - appointed Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (Decree No. 5/2026).
2026-02 - represented Ukraine in the preparation of trilateral consultations in Geneva.

Head of the Presidential Office, appointed in January 2026 to strengthen the strategic bloc and security direction.
Lieutenant General, Hero of Ukraine, former Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defence (2020–2026).
Member of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff and the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.
Chief coordinator of prisoner exchanges.

Position: Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine since 2 January 2026.

Official profiles/sources:

Official website of the President: president.gov.ua
Telegram channel: t.me/Kyrylo_Budanov_Official

Kyrylo Budanov was born in 1986 in Kyiv. He is a graduate of the Odessa Institute of Land Forces. He rose through the ranks from special forces operations officer to lieutenant general. He took direct part in combat operations in Donbas, where he was wounded three times.

His transition from the position of head of the Main Intelligence Directorate to the leadership of the Office of the President in January 2026 was a response to the need for maximum consolidation of the state's efforts. In his new position, Budanov took on not only administrative but also complex diplomatic functions, including preparation for peace negotiations and implementation of the concept of "neo-industrialisation" of the defence sector.

Influence

As head of the Presidential Administration, Kyrylo Budanov is effectively the President's right-hand man on foreign policy, defence and internal security issues.

Key tasks and powers:

Strategic planning: coordinating steps to end the war on terms favourable to Ukraine.
Military diplomacy: direct contacts with intelligence communities and political leaders of NATO countries.
War economy: overseeing projects for the production of high-tech weapons within the country.

Positions

Predictability of victory: consistently states that people build their own reality, so Ukraine must dictate its own terms.
Security: believes that Ukraine's future security depends on the creation of a powerful buffer zone and the demilitarisation of enemy border territories.

FAQ

Why did Budanov leave the GUR?

The President explained that this was necessary in order to reform the Office of the President for strategic security tasks and to prepare for the end of the war.