Russia issues warrant for Ukrainian military intelligence head

Russian authorities on Thursday added the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, to the list of wanted individuals after holding this entity responsible for several attacks against Russia. 

The name of Kyrylo Budanov (37 years old) is now listed in the database of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for individuals wanted on charges of criminal law violations. However, authorities did not specify the charges against him. 

Russian authorities accuse Budanov, who has been heading the military intelligence department at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense since 2020, of organizing the attack in October 2022 that partially destroyed the bridge connecting the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Moscow, to Russia. 

In late November, Ukraine announced suspicions that Russia was behind the poisoning of Budanov's wife, Marianna Budanova, an advisor to Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko. 

The Kremlin rejected these accusations, and its spokesperson Dmitry Peskov affirmed to reporters that "Ukraine always accuses Russia of everything." 

AFP