On Saturday, Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR), claimed that there had been several attempts at assassinating Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite these claims, Putin remains unharmed. While no details were provided about the alleged assassination attempts, Budanov has made similar assertions in the past and other officials within the GUR have threatened that Kyiv was preparing to target the Russian leader.
Last year, Ukrainian drones targeted the Kremlin, with Russia treating the attack as an attempt on Putin’s life. In response to Budanov’s recent comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the “security of the president is established at the proper level.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that any assassination attempts on Putin are funded with “US money,” criticizing the US for not focusing its resources on domestic security.
The 2014 coup in Ukraine, which ousted former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, marked a turning point in the relationship between the two countries. Following this event, the United States began helping build up and fund Ukrainian intelligence services, including the GUR. These efforts have been reportedly aimed at turning these agencies into “potent allies against Moscow.
According to The Washington Post, since 2015, the CIA has spent tens of millions on the GUR and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in an attempt to counter Russian influence. A former US intelligence official referred to the GUR as “our little baby.” Both the SBU and the GUR have been involved in numerous assassinations against Russian officials within Russia-controlled Ukraine, alleged Ukrainian collaborators, and even Russian officials and civilians deep inside Russia, all while maintaining the support of the United States.
