Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed National Intelligence Service Director Kirillo Budanov as his new chief of staff, just over a month after his former top aide resigned amid corruption charges.
Prime Minister Zelensky posted a photo of his meeting with Budanov in Kiev on social media and said, “Ukraine now needs to focus more on security issues.”
Budanov, 39, until now led the Hur military intelligence service, which has claimed to have carried out several highly effective attacks against Russia.
Zelensky also said he plans to replace Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and appoint current Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhaylo Fedorov to the position.
Budanov’s predecessor, Andriy Yermak, wielded enormous political influence throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion that began in 2022. He also led Ukraine’s negotiating team in crucial talks with the United States aimed at ending the war.
“At present, Ukraine must place greater focus on security issues, the development of the Ukrainian National Defense Force and diplomatic negotiation paths,” Prime Minister Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post Friday.
“Kyrylo has expert experience in these areas and is well-equipped to deliver results.”
The president added that he had already instructed the new director-general to update and submit key documents on the “strategic basis” of Ukraine’s defense.
The Chief of Staff to the President of Ukraine has historically had a very powerful position. There was a time in the 2000s when the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration wielded as much power as the president.
This ostensibly administrative role has traditionally offered close access to the head of state, as well as ample opportunities to pull government strings.
For example, the president’s chief of staff can lobby for government appointments and exert pressure on the business community, often for personal gain.
General Budanov’s appointment signals an intention to reorganize roles. This puts the President’s office in a warlike situation, very likely to be much more focused on security and the war with Russia.
Later Friday, Zelensky announced other changes to his top team. He said Fedorov was named the new defense minister “because he decided to change the structure of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.”
Federov, 34, is the youngest minister in the Ukrainian government. His major achievement to date is the development and implementation of Diya, a centralized digital platform for government services.
He is “deeply involved in drones” and will be specifically tasked with training more drone operators, Zelensky said in his evening speech.
He added that Shmyhal will remain “part of the team” and will be moved to other areas of work.
Zelensky said Budanov had been replaced by 56-year-old foreign intelligence chief Ole Ivashchenko.
Budanov’s former chief of staff, Yermak, 54, resigned on November 28, and his resignation was seen as a major blow to Zelensky.
Yermak resigned shortly after his home in Kiev was raided by state anti-corruption agencies.
He was not charged with any charges, and the Anti-Corruption Bureau Nabu and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office Sappho did not explain why they searched his property.
Over the past few months, investigators have linked several high-profile figures to a $100 million embezzlement scandal in the energy sector.
They said they uncovered a wide-ranging scheme to receive kickbacks and influence state-owned companies, including Enerhoatom, the state-run nuclear energy company.
The corruption scandal has rocked Ukraine, weakened President Zelenskyy’s own position and jeopardized the country’s negotiating position at a sensitive time.
Kiev, backed by its European allies, is trying to change the terms of a draft U.S.-led peace plan that originally appeared to be heavily tilted toward Russia.
Russian officials have seized on the scandal, citing corruption claims.
