Lieutenant-General Kyrylo Budanov was speaking as debate raged in Kyiv, London and Washington over whether Ukraine should be allowed to use Western-made weapons systems to hit targets deep in Russia.
Ukrainian pleas to get this permission have so far fallen on deaf ears, especially in the United States, owing to fears that it might trigger an escalatory response from Moscow. As a consequence, Ukraine says, it has to fight a war with one hand tied behind its back, while Moscow can use long-range weapons, some of them foreign made, to attack targets across the country.
At the moment, Ukraine has to dip into its limited pool of long-range drones to strike targets. While these attacks are aimed at damaging Russia’s industrial and military infrastructure, Budanov said a key advantage of these strikes is their psychological effect.
“I would emphasize our ability to deliver strikes deep inside the Russian Federation,” he said. “It has changed the outlook as it has had a serious effect on the social-psychological situation because, before that, the entire Russian population lived in the paradigm which made them say: ‘No matter what, we are a very powerful country, we are the strongest in the world.’
“But with the first explosions, let's say, in Moscow, on the territory of the Russian Federation, and so on, it [the paradigm] was destroyed. They have undermined the faith in this foundation. The people's belief in that they live in a safe country has been broken. It is the main achievement of all these deep strikes.''
Budanov was speaking at a conference in Kyiv on Saturday, in a rare public outing for the intelligence chief who is regarded as one of the key figures in Ukraine’s efforts to defeat the Russian invasion.
He also said that supplies of North Korean ammunition were one of the biggest problems facing Ukraine on the battlefield.
“The equipment they provide really make a difference to Russia on the frontline,” said Budanov. “Seven to 10 days after a delivery, hostilities intensify.
“The munitions from North Korea are really bad for us and there is nothing we can do about them,” he continued, adding the supplies from the far-east country are far more of a problem than those from Iran and China.”
The Kremlin, Budanov said, was now offering people up to $22,000 as an incentive to join the army. While this got some people to sign up, money, he added, as motive to fight paled in comparison to the motives of Ukrainian troops.
“We are fighting for our own lands, we cannot say we have had enough and are quitting,” he said. “I have spoken to people who interview POWs, and they tell me the Russians say they are fighting for money. We are fighting for our people, our land and our future.”
