Ukraine's spy chief on Ukrainian counteroffensive: not everything is fine but no catastrophe either

Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Chief, has said that Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive was not a "catastrophe", even though not everything was "fine", and that Ukraine’s Armed Forces cannot do without a mobilisation campaign.

Source: Kyrylo Budanov in an interview with the Financial Times (FT)

Details: When asked about Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive failing to achieve its objectives, Budanov said: "To say that everything is fine is not true. To say that there is a catastrophe is also not true."

"Although the original plans suggested something different, we kept our promise. This summer, our units repeatedly entered Crimea," Budanov said.

When asked about mobilisation, Budanov said "it is not even conceivable to think that we can do without mobilisation," adding that the shortage of manpower was "palpable".

Budanov anticipates that Ukraine will continue to be able to contain Putin’s forces and has already proven that Russia’s supposed military might has turned out to be a "soap bubble".

North Korea is Russia’s biggest arms supplier at present, Budanov said, with their weapons transfers allowing Russia "to breathe a little". "Without their help, the situation would have been catastrophic," he added.

Background:

• Ukrainian military officials proposed at a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff that an extra 450,000-500,000 people should be mobilised, but the issue is still being worked on, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 19 December 2023.
• On 21 January 2024 President Zelenskyy said that he does not as yet see a need for the General Staff to mobilise 500,000 Ukrainians.

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