In a photo of Budanov taken on Bankova Street, a red notebook containing a ‘list’ was spotted

This is reported in an article by “Babel”.

Babel’s journalists have published an in-depth profile of Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence. The article covers the war, politics, Budanov’s career, his inner circle, the work of the intelligence services, and the role of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate within the current system of government.

One of the photos from the office on Bankova Street attracted particular attention on social media. In it, Budanov is sitting at his desk, and in the foreground are documents, books, diaries and a bright red notepad with the inscription “List of Assholes-2026”.

It was this detail that quickly became a topic of discussion in its own right. Users began joking about who might end up on such a list: Putin and the Kremlin elite, Russian propagandists, figures involved in high-profile corruption scandals, “useful idiots” or even entire political institutions.

Comments ironically note that the notebook looks too thin for such a list. Others joke that perhaps it is red because Budanov is “adding certain figures to the Red Book”.

For a major political profile, this detail served as a distinct visual hook. The photo from the office took on a life of its own on social media, although the Babel article itself covers far more than just one item on the desk.

This is not the first time that items in Budanov’s office have sparked discussion. Previously, a map of Moscow, a schematic map of a possible division of Russia, and a cake shaped like such a map attracted attention.

This time, the red notepad has taken on the role of a symbol. And, it seems, this was more than enough to spark new memes.

As reported by ThePublic, the eradication of subjective interference in state processes and the transition to transparent rules is a strategic prerequisite for Ukraine’s survival and its accession to the EU. This was emphasised by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, during the conference ‘Operation “European Integration”: reforms in the field of justice’.

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