The enemy will use a comprehensive approach on all “fronts.”
The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Kirill Budanov, believes that due to certain actions of the Kremlin, Ukraine will face very difficult times in all areas in the near future, but the “end of the world” will not happen.
He spoke about this in an interview with the BBC, which asked him, among other things, to comment on his own positive forecasts that he had previously given on the situation in Crimea. In particular, about whether he regrets his words: “The Armed Forces of Ukraine will soon be in Crimea.”
“I said that “we will enter Crimea.” Never. I never regret the past (in particular, for my words to UNIAN). In general, about anyone. The fact that sometimes the situation changes dramatically – in the end, if you already talk about my personal words, then our units entered Crimea,” Budanov emphasized.
He believes that his forecasts do not give people vain hope, because these are real-time forecasts; if something turns out a little differently, then it makes “its own adjustments.” According to the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, his forecasts are based on facts, figures, documents and the like. Based on such data, he made a new forecast.
“We are facing a rather difficult situation in the near future, according to our assessment. But it is not catastrophic, this must also be understood. Armageddon will not happen, as many are now starting to say. But there will be problems from mid-May,” he noted.
The same applies to the situation at the front. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate told us what kind of operation the invaders are currently carrying out.
“This is an integrated approach, because the Russians will use an integrated approach. They are carrying out a complex operation. We will not talk about this for a long time, but this will be a difficult period. Mid-May, early June,” Budanov said.
When asked if this concerns the internal political situation in Ukraine, he replied: “It’s about everything.”
War in Ukraine – the situation at the front
Let us recall that earlier the commander of a separate special forces battalion, Pavel Kurylenko, who participated in the battles for the Donetsk airport, said that a significant advance of Russian troops could soon occur at the front. According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding back the breakthrough of the front only with the help of UAVs from volunteers, since previous supplies of weapons from the allies are running out. Kurylenko called the lack of weapons “terrible”; Ukrainian Armed Forces units on the front line rely on donations or buy drones themselves.
According to him, the only thing preventing a Russian breakthrough on all fronts is FPV drones, 90% of which are provided by volunteers or military units themselves.
At the same time, ISW believes that the rapid dispatch of American assistance will allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to stop the enemy.
