The wife of Ukraine’s military intelligence chief has been poisoned and is recovering in a hospital, Ukrainian intelligence officials said on Tuesday, an incident that has led to widespread speculation that Russia was stepping up efforts to target Ukraine’s senior leadership.
Andriy Chernyak, an official from the Ukrainian military intelligence agency, said that Marianna Budanova had been poisoned and was receiving treatment.
Her husband, Kyrylo Budanov, is the head of the agency known as GUR and is one of the country’s most senior military leaders.
Mr. Chernyak declined to speculate on the perpetrator or the type of poison used and provided no further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
The agency’s spokesman, Andriy Yusov, later issued a statement with a similar account of the incident and said more information would be released as the investigation proceeds.
Persons:
Andriy Chernyak, Marianna Budanova, Kyrylo, GUR, Chernyak, Andriy Yusov
Locations:
Russia