Wife of Ukraine Intelligence Chief Suffers Heavy Metal Poisoning... "Russian Assassination Attempt"

"Several Other Officers Also Show Signs of Addiction"

The wife of the head of Ukraine's intelligence agency was hospitalized after showing symptoms of heavy metal poisoning, with local media raising the possibility of an assassination attempt.

On the 28th (local time), according to the Ukrainian media outlet Babel, Marianna Budanova, the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, Major General and head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, was recently diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning and admitted to a hospital. Budanova is known to have experienced a long-term decline in health due to heavy metal poisoning.

A military official pointed out, "The substance that Budanova appears to have been poisoned with is not used in daily life or militarily," adding, "It could be an intentional attempt to assassinate a specific individual."

In this regard, local media reported that "several other intelligence officers also showed symptoms of poisoning," without disclosing specific information.

Director Kyrylo Budanov of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
[Image source=BBC]

Earlier, Director Budanov himself revealed that since the outbreak of the war, there have been several assassination attempts against him, including car bomb attacks.

HUR stated in June that there have been at least 10 assassination attempts against Director Budanov. Regarding being targeted multiple times, he told the media, "It is like a compliment to me."

Meanwhile, Budanov was appointed as the head of military intelligence in 2020 at the young age of 34 and has played a key role in planning major military operations of the Ukrainian army since Russia's invasion.

The Washington Post (WP) highlighted him in an article last January, stating, "Budanov is one of the very few individuals within the Ukrainian government and military leadership who accurately predicted Russia's 'full-scale invasion' several months before the war."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.