Budanov answered whether he believes in Ukraine's victory in the war and why he fears a repeat of the events of the 1990s

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said that his faith in Ukraine's victory is based on a large amount of information from various sources. According to him, the loss of faith would mean that the struggle would be meaningless because only those who believe in the outcome can succeed.

He compared it to sports, noting that those who do not believe in their victory will never become champions. A similar principle applies in military affairs – confidence in victory is a key component of success. Budanov said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"My faith is based on the information I have, and I have enough of it, thank God. I can analyze many aspects of the world, our internal ones, I have something to work with. And in principle, we have to believe. If we lose faith, then there is no point in doing anything at all. Because a person who does not believe will never win, not just a victory, but just some achievements. An athlete who does not believe that he will become a champion will never become a champion, and it is the same here," the DIU chief noted.

According to the intelligence officer, Ukrainians, like Russians, have the most experienced armies on the continent.

Budanov also expressed fears about a possible repeat of the situation of the 1990s, when Ukraine had one of the strongest armies in Europe but gradually lost its defense capability.

"I am very afraid of this and I hope that we will not repeat the mistakes we made in the period from 1992 to 2014, I hope so. Because then we also had, excuse me, the largest army in Europe, except for the Russian Federation, the third largest nuclear arsenal, the most developed material and technical base, the most modern equipment, everything was here," he explained, noting that Ukraine had degraded and destroyed it.

The head of military intelligence also commented on the issue of peace and truce with Russia, which always uses the tactics of "carrots and sticks." He emphasized that the Russians will always do this: put pressure and offer various financially interesting things for other parties to participate in this.

In his opinion, truce and peace are completely different concepts. He believes that a truce can be reached quickly, but real peace requires much more time and effort.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, Budanov explained why Russia needs a break in the war now. According to him, the Kremlin realizes that the war with Ukraine has a high price, and if Russia does not end the conflict by 2026, it may lose its chance for world leadership.

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