While Russian Federation forces continue relentlessly taking up territory both in the Eastern Donetsk region and in many other places of the almost 1,000 mile-long frontline, what’s left for Ukraine is to gain some smashing victories on the battlefield it usually dominates: the headlines of the MSM.

So, in this context, young nationalist leader Kyrylo Budanov is back in the news. The head of the Ukrainian Military’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) is known to TGP readers ever since at least June 2023, when he disappeared for over two weeks and was rumored to be dead: Ukrainian Head of Intelligence Is Missing – General Budanov Hasn’t Been Seen in 17 Days – Russian Media Says He Was Wounded, Evacuated to Germany – Kiev Denies, Putin Confirms Attack on GRU Headquarters

In the end, Budanov returned to action and has been a consequential leader ever since, even had his name mentioned as a substitute for dismissed General Valery Zaluzhny, before Oleksandr Syrsky was installed.

But it hasn’t all been good times, as news also emerged that his wife would have been targeted with poison: Ukrainian Spy Chief Budanov’s Wife, Marianne, Reportedly Hospitalized for Heavy Metal Poisoning.

Budanov has been implicated in terrorist attacks that targeted figures from the daughter of Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, to journalists and military correspondents.

But now, the young General has come on the record talking about much bigger fish to fry: the unsuccessful attacks staged by the GRU to try to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Budanov’s revelations start with stories about alleged Russian plots to assassinate him.

He takes that to mean that Ukraine’s special services, including the GRU, ‘are doing their job properly’.

Ukrinform reported:

“‘I like it all. This means that we are doing our job properly. If they suddenly stop being interested in me, that will be a problem’, Budanov said.”

It was just a couple of months ago, that Ukraine’s SBU State Security Service reportedly ‘foiled plans by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) to kill President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top Ukrainian military and political leaders’.

Two colonels from Ukraine’s State Guard Administration who have been accused of passing secret information to the Russians were arrested.

“According to the investigation, FSB agents were tasked with searching for executors among the military close to the president’s security team who could take the head of state hostage and later kill him. In addition to Zelensky, the enemy also planned to assassinate SBU Chief Vasyl Maliuk, Budanov, and other high-ranking officials.”

But the thing that stands out among his many claims in his new PR push is that he talks about ‘several attempts to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin’.

DPA reported:

“‘But as you can see, they were unsuccessful’, Budanov told New Voice, a Ukrainian website. The general did not say what his claim was based on. He also did not say whether his or other Ukrainian intelligence services might have been involved in the plans.

Budanov has made provocative comments in the past, as a form of psychological warfare. The Kremlin responded, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov making clear that the president’s safety would be protected. ‘The threat from the Kiev regime is obvious’, he told TASS state news agency in Moscow.”

As one would expect, Russians had a lot to say about this disclosures by Budanov.

Almayadeen reported:

“Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed on Sunday that Ukraine’s plot to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin was financed by the United States.

[…] On Telegram, Zakharova said ‘Yesterday one of the leaders of the Kiev regime, Budanov, admitted that Ukraine’s intelligence was plotting the assassination of the Russian president. This assassination attempt was being prepared, again, with US money, without which there would be no malicious activities of the Ukrainian intelligence, the Ukrainian armed forces, and, general, Bankova Street [government in Kiev]’.”

Watch: Kremlin reacts to Ukraine’s alleged plans to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.

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