The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, was one of those who predicted a war between Russia and Ukraine.

He believed that Russia would not limit itself to the attack on Donbas, but would also move on Kyiv.

The head of Ukrainian intelligence also emphasized that Russia will not succeed in occupying Ukraine and the Russian Federation will lose. 

TSN.ua collected forecasts of Kirill Budanov about how the war will last and when it will end. 

Budanov's forecast regarding the liberation of Kherson

At the end of October, the head of Ukrainian intelligence predicted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could liberate Kherson by the end of November.

At the same time, he emphasized that there are many well-prepared Russian invaders in this city.

Even then, it seemed unlikely, since the occupiers declared that they would not leave the only regional center that they captured at the beginning of the war.

As early as November 8, Budanov reported that the decisive stage of Russia's war against Ukraine was taking place, and already on November 11, during a counteroffensive, the Defense Forces liberated the captured Ukrainian city. 

Photo: Word and deed

Budanov's forecast for the liberation of occupied Crimea 

Kyrylo Budanov believes that Ukraine will liberate the annexed Crimea by military means.

In his opinion, this will happen already in May 2023. 

"Ukraine has the right to inflict a military defeat on the attacker. We strive for victory over the enemy. 

This victory can come when the enemy's targets are destroyed, and at the final stage this victory is possible only when we reach the borders of 1991," Budanov emphasized.

As for the future of the illegally built Crimean bridge, the head of intelligence predicted that this structure should be destroyed after the deoccupation of Crimea. 

"

The Crimean bridge is the symbol that will be destroyed.

When Crimea returns, this bridge will cease to exist.

Nobody actually needs this transport artery," Budanov explained.

Will Russia use nuclear weapons: Budanov's forecast 

Back in the fall, when the Ukrainian Kherson was occupied by the Russian invaders, there were discussions about whether Russia could use nuclear weapons against Ukraine in the event of the liberation of Kherson.

Budanov called it a "scarecrow".

However, he believes that if a disaster is coming for Russia, then it can happen. 

"This is also such a common scarecrow. Do you remember, about three weeks ago, people even called the dates when it would happen? I will answer: it will not. This is the first. The second: can they do it or not? In theory - they can. Will they do it? is it now? They

it with Araz . Will they do it when they have a disaster at all? This is an open question, no one in Russia, nor in our country, nor anywhere in the world has an answer to it," Budanov said.

Should we expect a new offensive from the territory of Belarus: Budanov's forecast

In December, the head of the GUR said that at the moment there is no need to fear a new offensive from the territory of Belarus.

Now the Russians are only trying to create the appearance of this in order to intimidate the Ukrainians. 

"Everything that happens in our media space, related to the subject of Belarus, is an echo of the Russian information special operation. The main goal is to sow panic among the society and draw our forces and means away from real combat operations on the front lines," explained Kirill. Budanov. 

Screenshot from the video

Budanov's forecast: when the war will end 

The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense believes that the war in Ukraine will not last for years.

Kyrylo Budanov predicted in October that the war should end by the summer of 2023. 

"At the end of spring, it should all be over. By summer, everything should be over," he said.

By "completion" Budanov meant the exit to the borders in 1991.

Regarding additional plans, Kyrylo Budanov spoke about further reparations that Moscow should pay.

Budanov's forecast: what will happen to Putin and whether a coup is possible in Russia

The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov believes that after the defeat in the war, the power in Moscow can change very quickly, but currently the probability of a coup d'état in Russia is very low.

However, he does not rule out the possibility that Putin may not live to see the end of the war. 

The head of military intelligence says that there are already discussions in the Russian Federation about who can replace the current president. 

"It is unlikely that he will survive it. And now in Russia there are active discussions about who will replace him," said Budanov.

As for the future of Russia, Budanov believes that this state will disintegrate into smaller entities.

Screenshot from the video

How Budanov explains his predictions about the war 

The head of Ukrainian intelligence emphasized that he does not guess what will happen and when, but analyzes the information he has about the mood in Russia and the state of affairs in the occupying army. 

"You must understand that I draw my conclusions based on information, and not just because I want to. I hope so very much," said Budanov, answering the question. 

Kyrylo Budanov: biography 

Major General, Head of the Military Intelligence Service of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov was born on January 4, 1986 in Kyiv.

Since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine in 2014, he participated in hostilities and was wounded.

In 2018-2020, he performed secret tasks, information about which is missing.

However, there is evidence that Budanov carried out special operations on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea.

In an interview with TSN, Kyrylo Budanov talked about a curious incident that happened to him at the bank while he was working in a closed position.

"I used to work in a closed position. I had a human problem at a certain point when I lost a bank card. The bank card at that time was issued even before moving to a closed position in my real name. Then I lost it, and all the data were closed. 

came to the bank and asked to renew the card. They asked me for documents. I gave them, but it's a different person. I'm sorry," said the head of military intelligence.

In April 2019, Budanov survived an attempt on his own life: the Russians tried to blow up his car.

In 2020, he headed the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. 

Read also:

• "Russia's defeat is already a settled issue": Budanov said that propaganda is preparing the Russians for defeat

• Russia has missiles left for several large-scale attacks: Budanov told how the occupiers will act later

• Budanov told how many doppelgangers Putin has and how Ukrainian intelligence distinguishes between them