Budanov names the main achievement of long-range strikes against Russia

After the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck targets deep in Russia, the myth of invincibility and security was shattered for the population of the aggressor country. This, in particular, affected the socio-psychological aspect in Russia.

This was stated by Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, RBC-Ukraine reports citing the Yalta European Strategy (YES) forum.

Speaking about the long-range strikes and successes of the Defense Forces, in particular, in the Black Sea and the Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region in the context of Ukraine's intention to change the logic of the war, the chief intelligence officer noted that “as a citizen, I would like to do more.”

“But you have to look at things realistically,” Budanov added, answering the interviewer's question about how he assesses the possibility of moving the war to Russian territory.

He noted that at the time of the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, “we were definitely dealing with one of the most powerful armies in the world.”

“Ukraine was a little weaker, we must also recognize this. And the very fact that it's been three years of a full-scale war, and ten years of our war in general, and we are still holding on,” the DIU chief said.

In this context, he added that despite their significant stockpiles of weapons and equipment (Soviet and accumulated since independence), and assistance from other countries, including the DPRK, the Russians “could not break Ukraine.”

Budanov emphasized that, in his opinion, this is “the most important thing here.”

“Our ability to move the fighting to the territory of Russia - I would emphasize here the ability to strike deep into the territory of the Russian Federation. This is the first thing. And on the very philosophy of it. This has changed the outlook a bit,” he explained.

Thus, the Chief Intelligence Officer of Ukraine noted that this had an impact, in particular, on the socio-psychological aspect for the population of the Russian Federation.

“Because before that, the entire Russian population lived in the paradigm: no matter what, we are a very powerful country, we are the strongest in the world,” Budanov said.

“And with the first explosions in Moscow, on the territory of the Russian Federation, this myth was destroyed. It undermined the whole foundation. This is the main achievement of all these, as they say, long-range strikes. The breakdown of the people's belief that they live in safety. This is not true,” he emphasized.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 16/09/2024