'Better that Ukrainians don't know the truth' - Kiev's spy chief

RT
Mon, 07 Apr 2025 12:46 UTC

© Vladimir Tarasov/Keystone Press Agency/Global Look Press/File

Kirill Budanov, Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry • May 2024

Many Ukrainians cannot handle the "harsh reality" of the conflict with Russia and should be kept in the dark about the details, General Budanov, Kiev's military intelligence chief, has said.

Three-star general Kirill Budanov expressed his views on information censorship during wartime in a conversation with journalist Anna Maksimchuk on Saturday, suggesting that much of the truth of the conflict should only become public knowledge to Ukrainians in the future.

"During wartime, knowing the whole truth is not necessary. Otherwise, people may develop opinions. Some minds are not prepared to grasp the harsh reality. Let's not put them to the test. Everything should be dosed."

Since 2020, Budanov has led the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (HUR) - an agency reportedly rebuilt from scratch by the CIA following the 2014 armed coup in Kiev to serve as a tool against Russia.

Prior to the escalation of hostilities with Russia in 2022, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky cracked down on critical media, claiming to do so in order to fight against local oligarchs under Moscow's influence.

During the conflict, Kiev launched a news marathon with programming said to be directly controlled by the president's office - which critics have called state propaganda. Additionally, under martial law, Zelensky banned several opposition parties, claiming they posed a national security threat.

Earlier this year, turmoil swept through Ukraine's media landscape following US President Donald Trump's decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization used by Washington to promote its political agenda through foreign grants.

Researcher Oksana Romanyuk estimated in January that nearly 90% of Ukrainian outlets relied on foreign aid, with 80% specifically receiving funding from USAID.

Comment: It is precisely the ongoing 'hide and deny' that is doing Ukraine and the world no service. 'The people' deserve to know the whole truth and choose the way forward. It is their lives, their country.

Not to be:

Ukraine needs to introduce defense-linked censorship of the country's press, the nation's top military commander General Aleksandr Syrsky said in an interview with Radio Bayraktar broadcast on Thursday. Restrictions should be aimed at hiding sensitive information about troops from Kiev's enemies, the general suggested, explaining that anyone can access any information nowadays.

The general justified his proposal citing 'established' wartime practices that have arisen out of 'necessity,' adding that he did not seek to infringe on anyone's rights.

"I do not want to introduce a dictatorship like in North Korea. We are not the first to wage a war... there is a certain established package of measures that are absolutely mandatory."

According to Syrsky:

"Certain 'sensitive information' such as the march routes of various military units should be hidden from the public eye, particularly now, when the information space is accessible to everyone."

At the same time, the general said:

"The public should be kept informed about the real situation so that the people understand that the war is near and there is no such sharp difference between the front and the rear."

Kiev introduced what it called a United News TV tele-marathon, a 24/7 joint information program produced by the country's major media outlets, soon after the start of the conflict in February 2022.

The telethon has faced criticism for monopolizing television broadcasting and stifling dissent. In 2023 several Ukrainian opposition-linked channels claimed they were excluded from the telethon due to their political stances. Vladimir Zelensky has also openly called the telethon a 'weapon', adding that it "works for Ukraine and against Russia."

In October 2024, the European Commission questioned the operation and public funding of the telethon in its annual report on Ukraine's progress toward accession to the bloc. Kiev brushed off the concerns. In 2024, the Ukrainian government spent about $17 million on the project and is expected to pour just as much money into it this year.

Kiev has also repeatedly considered restricting or even blocking the messaging platform Telegram, citing national-security concerns. In March 2024, the nation's military intelligence (GUR) head, Kirill Budanov, labeled Telegram a potential national-security threat.