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☆ Russia Using Thousands of SpaceX Starlink Terminals in Ukraine, WSJ Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russian troops in Ukraine are using thousands of Starlink satellite communications terminals made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, the Ukrainian military intelligence chief told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Thursday. Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov said that Russian troops have been communicating over the Starlink system "for quite a long time" and acquired the terminals from private Russian firms that purchased them from intermediaries. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesThe Russian Embassy and SpaceX did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The company did not respond to an email earlier this week asking whether it could categorically rule out the system's use by Russian troops in Ukraine. Retired British Army Brigadier Ben Barry told Reuters that if Russian forces are using Starlink their communications would be more secure and harder for Ukraine and its allies to crack.

Persons: Elon Musk's, General Kyrylo Budanov, Starlink, Ben Barry, Dan Whitcomb, Jonathan Landay, Mark Trevelyan, Chris Reese, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Reuters, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Wall Street, Pentagon, Ukrainian, Russian Embassy, SpaceX, British Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, Russian

☆ Ukrainian spy chief's wife poisoned, media reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The wife of Ukraine's military intelligence chief has been poisoned with heavy metals, several Ukrainian media outlets reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed intelligence sources. Marianna Budanova is the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, who heads Ukrainian military intelligence agency GUR, which has been prominently involved in clandestine operations against Russian forces throughout the 21-month war. In Russian media he is a hate figure. Ukraine's military intelligence and domestic security services did not respond to requests for comment. Russian media has reported that a court in Moscow had arrested Budanov in absentia in April on terrorism charges.

Persons: Kyrylo Budanov, Valentyn, Marianna Budanova, GUR, Budanova, Suspilne, Ukrainska Pravda, Budanov, Max Hunder, Tom Balmforth, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Military Intelligence, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Russian, Ukrainska Pravda, RBC Ukraina, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Moscow, Russian

☆ Ukraine's drone campaign plans to exhaust Russia's air defenses, disable its bombers, and damage military production, says spy chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's head of defense intelligence discussed his military drone campaign with The Economist. He said Ukraine is targeting air defenses, military sites, and military production facilities. In a wide-ranging interview with The Economist, Lieutenant-General Kyrylo Budanov, outlined his three main objectives for Ukraine's drone strikes against Russia. Meanwhile, drone attacks in the Russian capital are causing frequent disruptions at Moscow's main international airport. Budanov in the interview rejected criticisms that the attacks could escalate the war and said Ukraine was not targeting Russian civilians.

Persons: Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, ALEXANDER NEMENOV Organizations: Service, Russia, Moscow International Business, Getty, West, Drones, Economist Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Wall, Silicon, Moskva City, Moscow, AFP, Russia, Sevastopol, Tver

☆ Ukraine's counteroffensive could have only 30 days left, says US military's top general
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine counteroffensive could have only 30 days before autumn weather starts, says US military's top general. The counteroffensive has been "long, slow, hard, and high-casualty-producing," said General Mark Milley. They haven't finished the fighting part of what they're trying to accomplish," said the US military's top general. "There's still a reasonable amount of time, probably about 30 to 45 days' worth of fighting weather left, so the Ukrainians aren't done," Gen. Milley told BBC News. Though the weather will stall the counteroffensive, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, told Reuters that "the fighting will continue one way or another."

Persons: Mark Milley, Jan Kallberg, Milley, haven't, aren't, Efrem, Sir Tony Radakin, Adm Radakin, General Kyrylo Budanov Organizations: Service, Joint Chiefs of Staff, BBC News, CNN, AP, Russia, Reuters Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia region, Russia, British

Major General Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Military Intelligence of Ukraine, speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces will continue through the onset of cold and wet weather later this year, even though it would become harder to fight, Kyiv's intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said on Saturday. The counteroffensive will continue," Budanov said. Vadym Skibytskyi, an official from Ukraine's military spy agency, said earlier on Saturday that Russia currently had 420,000 servicemen inside Ukraine. Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed.

Persons: Kyrylo Budanov, Valentyn, Budanov, Victor Pinchuk, Tom Balmforth, Mike Harrison Organizations: Military Intelligence, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Russian, Victor, Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Kyiv, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Robotyne

☆ Ukrainian weapons can now hit targets 430 miles away, Zelenskyy says, threatening to bring the war deeper inside Russia's borders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He said Ukrainian weapons can hit Russian targets more than 430 miles away. It means Ukraine has extended the range of its attacks and can strike deep within Russia's borders. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn a Facebook post Thursday, he posted a video apparently showing a long-range Ukrainian missile test. Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate Head Major General Kyrylo Budanov said that Ukraine has the capacity to strike targets anywhere in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula occupied by Russia since 2014. As part of that drive, Ukraine has launched attacks on cities and military targets in Russia apparently aimed at sapping Russian morale.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Oleksiy Danilov, Kyrylo Budanov Organizations: Service, Ministry of Strategic Industries, Ukraine, Ukrainian National Security and Defense, Main Military Intelligence Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia's, Wall, Silicon, Pskov, Russia, Washington, DC, Russian, Crimea

☆ Ukraine spy chief says nuclear threat at Zaporizhzhia plant subsiding
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Major General Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Military Intelligence of Ukraine, speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoKYIV, July 6 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military spy chief said on Thursday that the threat of a Russian attack on the vast Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was receding, but that it could easily return as long as the facility remained under occupation by Moscow's forces. The intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, made the comment in an interview with Reuters after days of warnings by Ukrainian and Russian officials accusing each other of plotting an attack at Europe's largest nuclear plant. Budanov did not give details of what had been done to reduce the threat, or what it consisted of. "Sorry I can't tell you what happened recently but the fact is that the threat is decreasing", he said.

Persons: Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, It's, let's, Tom Balmforth, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Military Intelligence, Reuters, REUTERS, Directorate of Intelligence, Ministry of Defence, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Valentyn, KYIV, Bakhmut

☆ The US is close to approving the supply of ATACMS to Ukraine, a report said. Here's why Kyiv need them to win the 'deep battle.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US is considering providing ATACMS to Ukraine, according to a WSJ report. Kyiv has long sought its ballistic missiles, which could strike targets far beyond the front lines. "ATACMS is a long-range guided missile that gives operational commanders the immediate firepower to win the deep battle," says its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. The Pentagon said on Thursday that it was not aware of any imminent decision to send ATACMS to Ukraine following the Wall Street Journal report, per Reuters. However, US and European officials say that behind the scenes, the tone in Washington has recently shifted, and there appears to be a greater appetite to send Ukraine more advanced weapons, per the Journal report.

Persons: Biden, —, Sergei Shoigu, HIMARS, Ben Wallace, Lockheed Martin, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Brendan Smialowski, ATACMS, Abrams, James Risch, General Kyrylo Budanov Organizations: Kyiv, Washington DC, Service, Wall Street Journal, Army Tactical Missile, Russian, The Telegraph, British Storm Shadow, US High Mobility Artillery, Lockheed, White, Getty, Politico, US, Pentagon, Foreign Affairs, Reuters, Military Intelligence Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Kherson, Kerch, Russia, Washington , DC, Washington

☆ Spy chief reveals Ukraine been assassinating Russian pro-war propagandists far from the frontlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine has been assassinating Russian pro-war propagandists since the war began, its spy chief now says. Major-General Kyrylo Budanov that his network has operated behind the frontlines, The Times reported. He also said that some Russian citizens are helping with sabotage missions. Though Budanov didn't cite specific names of people targeted in the alleged killings, several high-profile explosions have killed Russian citizens within Putin's borders. In another interview, Budanov alleged that "a minority of Russians" are cooperating with Ukraine's reconnaissance, The Times reported.

☆ Ukraine intelligence chief says Kyiv wants a demilitarized border zone up to 60 miles inside Russia to prevent future conflicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine wants a demilitarized border zone up to 60 miles into Russian territory, its intel chief said. He said it would prevent future conflict and "shouldn't be an issue" if Russia doesn't plan attacks. Budanov added that Ukraine wants the demilitarized zone even if Russian President Vladimir Putin is overthrown, as it would help conserve peace in the future. Budanov was also asked by Ukrainian YouTube channel Rizni Lyudi if Ukraine had killed any Russian "propagandists" since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. He told a different Ukrainian YouTube channel that those attacks, which included attacks on Russian oil facilities, were the actions of unhappy Russians.

☆ Ukrainian officials planned 'mass strikes' on Moscow and other cities 'with everything' they had, but they stood down after US intervention: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Washington Post reports Ukrainian officials had plans for "mass strikes" on Russian cities on the first anniversary's of the war. Ukraine's military intelligence chief directed an officer to hit "with everything" available, but the plan wasn't carried out. Officials in Kyiv have disputed the Post report based on leaked documents, calling it "strange media" and "sensation." Ukraine is also suspected to be behind a number of explosive sea drone attacks on Russian installations. Smoke rises after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea August 9, 2022.

☆ Is Putin using a body double? Listen here: Skeptics say spotting a decoy is all in the ears.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The trip to the besieged region renewed claims that Putin uses body doubles for public appearances. The original Washington Post article has been updated to remove references to Putin using a body double. However, the Post isn't the first publication to reference the possibility of a Putin body double. It cannot be repeated," though he has not offered concrete evidence to back up the claim that Putin uses a body double. Ears as evidenceWhile Budanov's claims about Putin's health or use of body doubles cannot be verified, the use of ears as forensic evidence has been documented for decades.

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