2024-09-18 05:34:23
“The Russians would like to end the war at the turn of 2025-26,” said the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov. According to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, it bases its claims on data obtained from Russia.
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Budanov is convinced that the Russian economy and financial sector will have serious problems next summer. In addition, the need to mobilize again would undermine the socio-political situation. According to him, the economic situation in Russia is deteriorating and the regime of President Vladimir Putin is trying to manage the crisis with the aim of ending the war on favorable terms.
“If Russia does not win, it will lose its long-term ambition to be seen as a superpower in the next 30 years,” Budanov said, according to Interfax-Ukraine, citing Russian intelligence sources.
Russia is also increasingly faced with the problem of insufficient military recruitment. “During the summer of 2025, he will face a critical dilemma, he will either announce another mobilization or reduce the intensity of combat actions, which may ultimately be decisive for him,” says the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, according to whom the number of volunteers in the Russian army is decreasing despite high salaries and one-time contributions.
Despite the Kremlin’s official rhetoric, war fatigue in Russia is real, according to Budanov, as it has affected a significant portion of the population. “The Russians are honestly happy that they managed to occupy more than 30 percent of our country,” says Budanov, who is probably the best-known Ukrainian working in the secret services.
According to Budanov, Ukraine’s effort to take the war deeper into Russian territory has changed their view of the world. “Before, they lived in the belief that ‘no matter what happens, we are a very strong country, the strongest in the world’. But with the first explosions in Moscow and other parts of Russia, this myth was destroyed,” added Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence.
At the same time, Budanov drew attention to the growing role of unmanned aircraft during the war and emphasized that unmanned technology and electronic warfare systems will continue to develop. He stated that the strength of Ukrainians is self-belief, motivation to fight for their country and non-standard approaches to decision-making, which Russians do not have.
According to him, Ukraine is a country of opportunities. “The more I live, the more I see it: everything is possible here. Thousands of drones have been made from scratch. Who would have thought that two years ago? Our strength lies in our non-standard approach and belief that we can do anything,” said Budanov.
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