Ukraine’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov talks about being wounded in Donbas

In an interview with the Ukrainian news outlet NV, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said he’s been seriously wounded in the Donbas.

According to the senior officer, a fragment of an exploded mine went directly under his heart and remains lodged in his body because removing it would be dangerous. “My back and neck were punctured,” Budanov said, describing the event. The adrenaline, he recalled, kept him walking for five kilometers before he expired from the wound. “It’s a serious injury, but livable,” said the intelligence chief.

Budanov didn’t say when this happened. He has been taking part in combat operations in the Donbas since 2014. Since 2020, he’s been the head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.