Budanov celebrates his birthday—fascinating facts about the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate.

Today, January 4th, marks the birthday of Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine since August 5, 2020. He is a prominent figure in Ukraine's contemporary military history, awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine (2024) and numerous honors, including the Order of Courage (full cavalier).

https://news.novyny.live/ru/budanov-vidznachaie-den-narodzhennia-tsikavi-fakti-pro-glavu-gur-224250.html2025-01-04 07:19:13

This is reported by Novini.LIVE.

What is known about Budanov

He was born on January 4, 1986, in Kyiv. He graduated from the Odessa Institute of Land Forces, specializing in airborne troops.

Since 2007, he has served in the special units of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. He also carried out secret missions from 2018 to 2020.

By presidential decree, Budanov was appointed head of the GUR MOU in 2020. In May 2022, he led the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner of War Issues.

Since 2014, Budanov has been actively involved in combat operations. His units have conducted complex special operations, including:

Operation "Raid into Crimea" (2016): successful elimination of Russian forces on the occupied peninsula;
Defense of Kyiv and the operation at Hostomel Airport (2022): prevention of a large-scale enemy landing;
Aerial operation at Azovstal (2022): delivery of aid to the defenders of Mariupol;
De-occupation of Bucha, Irpin, Russian Lozovaya, and other strategic settlements;

Budanov has implemented a large-scale modernization of the GUR MO, making it one of the most influential intelligence agencies in the world. Under his leadership, innovative technologies have been developed, including unmanned maritime drones, which are successfully used in the Black Sea.

Interesting facts about Budanov's life

He has survived more than 10 assassination attempts. The head of the GUR loves animals (he has a cat, a canary, and frogs living in his office). In his childhood, Budanov was fascinated by the films of Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Quotes from Budanov

"This is our Black Sea, these are our towers, our Crimea, our Snake Island."
"The war must be taken to the enemy's territory."

Recall that Budanov previously predicted that next year Ukrainians should expect "many good events."

Also Budanov stated that despite Ukraine's advantage in drone warfare, Russia has begun to actively use a new type of FPV drones equipped with cables. This poses a serious threat, as such drones cannot be neutralized by electronic warfare means.