Overview
- Presidential decrees on Jan. 2 officially named Kyrylo Budanov head of the Presidential Office and reassigned him from military intelligence.
- Budanov accepted the role and said he will focus on Ukraine’s strategic security at a decisive point in the war.
- President Zelensky instructed Budanov to coordinate with security bodies to update and submit new strategic foundations for defense and development.
- Oleh Ivashchenko was appointed to succeed Budanov as chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR).
- The reshuffle follows the November resignation of Andriy Yermak after an anti-corruption raid, and it concentrates the president’s inner circle on security and US-backed peace negotiations.