"Two weeks before the start, he abruptly changed his mind": Budanov tells who in Kremlin was against invasion of Ukraine

Shortly before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some members of Russia's military and political leadership were against the outbreak of war. This included FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, who was forced to change his position a few weeks before the attack.

Many in the Russian leadership understood that the war would end badly for the aggressor country. This was stated by Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

According to him, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov and other war criminals strongly supported the attack on Ukraine. However, not all members of the Russian military and political elite were in favour of the invasion.

"Only Shoigu and Gerasimov were in favour. Bortnikov was the last one to hold out, he was against it, but for some personal reasons, two weeks before the start, he abruptly changed his mind and said: "No, everything is fine there, we are ready." And a few other functionaries. That's it," Budanov said.

The DIU chief stressed that Ukrainian intelligence knows why some Russian officials changed their minds, but it is not possible to talk about it now. At the same time, Budanov noted that the Russian Federation understands the inevitability of defeat, so for many in the Kremlin, the question of their own survival has now arisen.

Budanov cited a certain historical parallel, adding that in Russia, everything could end in mass terror inside the country and a search for those responsible for the defeat.

Earlier, Budanov said that the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation would not use nuclear weapons in response to the de-occupation of Crimea. According to him, the aggressor country, on the contrary, will try to make the loss of the Crimean peninsula invisible.

The DIU believes that the calls of war criminal Yevgeny Prigozhin to end the "Special Military Operation" are very eloquent in terms of real processes in the Russian elites. The war against Ukraine unleashed by Russian President Vladimir Putin has created "many microcracks" in Russian government circles, and they will only expand over time.

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