Kirill Budanov claims to have been the target of numerous assassination attempts by Russia.

Kirill Budanov's wife, Mariana, was poisoned with heavy metals in an unexplained incident in Ukraine.

A recent Ipsos poll ranked Kirill Budanov as the third most trusted individual in Ukraine, following former commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny.

As head of Ukraine's military intelligence service (HUR), Kirill Budanov was responsible for sabotage operations in Russian-occupied territories and within Russia itself.

Sources close to the Kremlin have indicated that Russia respects Ukraine's Kirill Budanov as a war hero.

There is speculation that President Zelensky appointed Kirill Budanov as chief of staff due to concerns about Budanov's rising political profile.