Mr. Kirill Budanov, head of the Ukrainian military intelligence agency, emphasized: "We need to reach a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible, preferably before the end of this year".
Is this plan feasible? Yes. Is it difficult? No. We need at least three sides - Ukraine, Russia and the US. And we will achieve that," he said.
Russia has stepped up airstrikes on Ukraine, including the use of a record number of drones in recent weeks. Russia launched 728 drones on July 9, causing damage to residential buildings and infrastructure. The United Nations reported that June this year recorded the highest monthly civilian casualties in Ukraine in the past three years, with 232 deaths and 1,343 injuries.
Russian ground attacks in Ukraine have also accelerated again. Last month, Russia advanced into the Sumy region, northeastern Ukraine, bordering Russia, in an effort to create a buffer zone. Russia has also made small strides in the Donetsk region and the Zaporizhzhia region. The Russian military is also trying to advance into the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine, bordering Donetsk.
"It is unrealistic for Russia to occupy the entire Donetsk region by the end of this year," Budanov said. He pointed out that the Russian military "has a political goal of declaring it has entered" the Dnipropetrovsk region and is tasked with establishing an additional buffer zone up to 10 km deep.
Mr. Budanov will celebrate his 5th year as Director of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence in August. Public opinion polls show that the military intelligence director has become one of the most beloved public figures in Ukraine, ranked in the group of 3 most trusted officials. The Rating Group poll from July 4-5, showed that 56% of Ukrainians trust him, while 67% and 73% support President Volodymyr Zelensky, former senior military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
Mr. Budanov said that Ukraine's intelligence cooperation with Western partners has been going well and he hopes that the information exchange will continue.
He said Ukraine depends on the US for early warnings of missile launches and satellite imagery.
"I do not see any signs that our cooperation in security activities will stop. That is not in our interest and not in the interest of our partners, because they receive information from us," he said.
Mr. Budanov called on allies to return to relying on human intelligence - the spying network - because he said that most European countries had buried this activity. "Don't believe that technical intelligence will solve everything. No one will discuss and plan a mobile campaign," he noted.
The top Ukrainian intelligence official hopes to continue holding the position until the conflict ends. "Currently, my dream is to end this conflict. Ukraine is a land of opportunities. In the future, I will decide what I want to do" - he shared.
