Budanov named a condition under which protests could break out in Russia and pointed to a major failure of the Kremlin

There are very low chances for protest movements in Russia at the moment, and there is no civil society. Protests are only possible if Russian elites are "ripe" for them.

At the same time, the war in Ukraine has destroyed a number of myths about Russia, including the belief that the aggressor state's army is the second army in the world, and that Russia has an extremely powerful agent network in Ukraine that is almost impossible to eradicate. This was stated by Major General Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in an interview with the Different People project.

Answering the interviewer's question about the success of the Ukrainian intelligence services in countering the Russian agent network inside the country, Budanov stressed that the aggressor's capabilities in this regard had been overestimated.

"The agent network still exists. But its power has largely turned out to be a myth. Let's put it this way: a person who drives by a fence for $100, working as a taxi driver, and takes a picture of the fence behind which he sees military vehicles is also considered an agent. But this is not what people usually think of when they talk about agents," Budanov said.

He also added that he is sure that there are "definitely no Russian agents" in his environment.

But in the entourage of Russian President Vladimir Putin, there are people who cooperate with Ukrainian military intelligence.

"We have our own sources who keep us well informed. But who they are... I'm sorry, it would be strange to tell you," Budanov refused to elaborate on the answer to the journalist's question.

The head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine stressed that during the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian army destroyed the myth of the invincibility of the Russian military machine. However, it would be a big mistake to underestimate the enemy. In particular, unlike the armed forces, Russia's intelligence services are working quite well.

"We are not at war with the second army of the world, but still with one of the most powerful military machines that have ever existed. Not the second army in the world. Probably not the third either. But it is probably in the top ten. It has a very serious, unlike the army, highly powerful system of special services. It would be wrong to underestimate the enemy. And since we are acting more or less effectively, which is beyond any doubt, it means that we are working correctly," Budanov stressed.

The head of Ukraine's military intelligence also spoke about the likelihood of protest movements in Russia.

"The protest potential of Russian society is almost zero. It will be possible to shake Russia from within only when the elites are ready for it. Civil society is in Ukraine. It does not exist there. It is not even correct to compare," Budanov said.

The chief of military intelligence also sees no chance of protest movements growing on a regional or national basis - without, again, the support of local elites.

Earlier, Budanov called Putin a "legitimate goal" for Ukraine. At the same time, the head of the GRU said that he sees no point in attempts to assassinate the Kremlin dictator. Thus, Budanov believes that Putin's elimination is theoretically possible, but he does not see the expediency of this, apparently referring to the high support for the aggressive war against Ukraine among the Russian population.

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