Report: Marianna Budanova, Wife of Ukraine Spy Chief Kyrylo Budanov, Allegedly Poisoned with Heavy Metals

The wife of Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Marianna Budanova, has reportedly been poisoned with heavy metals, according to several Ukrainian media outlets. Budanova is married to Kyrylo Budanov, who is in charge of the Ukrainian military intelligence agency GUR. This agency has played a significant role in covert operations against Russian forces during the ongoing war. Budanov has gained prominence in Ukraine as a mastermind behind efforts to counter Russia, while Russian media portrays him as a hated figure.

If confirmed as intentional, the poisoning of Budanova’s wife would be the most severe targeting of a high-profile Ukrainian leader’s family member since the start of Russia’s invasion in February of the previous year. Ukraine’s military intelligence and domestic security services have not commented on the reports, and it remains unclear who might be responsible for the alleged poisoning or when it occurred.

One media outlet, Babel, cited an anonymous source stating that Budanova had been hospitalized and was undergoing treatment for the effects of the poisoning. Public broadcaster Suspilne, along with online outlets Ukrainska Pravda and RBC Ukraina, also reported on the poisoning incident. Russian media has previously reported that Budanov was arrested in absentia by a Moscow court in April on terrorism charges.

It is worth noting that Moscow has previously accused Ukrainian secret services of being involved in the murders of a pro-war Russian blogger and journalist on Russian soil. However, Kyiv has denied any involvement in these deaths. Budanov has previously made statements expressing his determination to continue “killing Russians anywhere on the face of this world until the complete victory of Ukraine.”

(Note: This article has been published as is, with no edits made by NDTV staff. It is sourced from a syndicated feed.)