Zelenskyy names Ukraine’s head of military intel as his chief of staff

KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday appointed the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence as his new chief of staff, a move that comes as the U.S. leads a diplomatic push to end Russia’s nearly 4-year-old invasion.

Announcing the appointment of Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs to focus on security issues, developing its defense and security forces, and peace talks — areas that are overseen by the office of the president.

Zelenskyy had dismissed his previous chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, after anti-corruption officials began investigating alleged graft in the energy sector.

The president framed Budanov’s appointment as part of a broader effort to sharpen the focus on security, defense development and diplomacy.

“Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results,” Zelenskyy said.

Budanov, 39, said on Telegram his new position is “both an honor and a responsibility — at a historic time for Ukraine — to focus on the critically important issues of the state’s strategic security.”

Zelenskyy appointed Foreign Intelligence Service head Oleh Ivashchenko to replace Budanov as GUR chief.

‘Prominent face of Kyiv’s intelligence effort’

Budanov is one of the country’s most recognizable and popular wartime figures. He has led Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known by its acronym GUR, since 2020.

A career military intelligence officer, he rose through the defense establishment after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. He also took part in special operations and intelligence missions linked to the fighting with Moscow-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine before the full-scale invasion of February 2022. He reportedly was wounded during one such operation.

Since the full-scale invasion, Budanov has become a prominent face of Kyiv’s intelligence effort, regularly appearing in interviews and briefings that mix strategic signaling with psychological pressure on Moscow. He has frequently warned of Russia’s long-term intentions toward Ukraine and the region, while portraying the war as an existential struggle for the country’s statehood.

Under Budanov, the GUR expanded its operational footprint, coordinating intelligence, sabotage and special operations aimed at degrading Russian military capabilities far beyond the front lines. Ukrainian officials have credited military intelligence with operations targeting Russian command structures, logistics hubs, energy infrastructure and naval assets, including strikes deep inside Russian territory and occupied areas.

His appointment to lead the office of the president marks an unusual shift, placing an intelligence chief at the center of Ukraine’s political and diplomatic coordination.

Ihor Reiterovych, a Kyiv-based independent political expert, noted that Budanov had participated in the talks with the U.S. and “will fit much more naturally into the overall context” of the negotiations.

“Unlike Yermak, he has both experience in this field and has worked in a relevant position,” Reiterovych said, adding that the GUR also has had certain contacts with Russia on issues such as prisoner exchanges.

Russia reports a higher death toll from a strike

Russian authorities said Friday the death toll from what they called a Ukrainian drone strike on a cafe and hotel in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region rose to 28. Kyiv strongly denied attacking civilian targets.

Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman of Russia’s main criminal investigation agency, the Investigative Committee, said those killed in the village of Khorly, where at least 100 civilians were celebrating New Year’s Eve, included two minors, while 31 people were hospitalized.

A spokesman for Ukraine’s General Staff, Dmytro Lykhovii, denied attacking civilians. He told Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne on Thursday that Ukrainian forces “adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law” and “carry out strikes exclusively against Russian military targets, facilities of the Russian fuel and energy sector, and other lawful targets.”

He noted that Russia has repeatedly used disinformation and false statements to disrupt the ongoing peace negotiations.

The Associated Press could not independently verify claims made about the attack.

Washington praises progress in negotiations

U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner had a “productive call” with the national security advisers of Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine “to discuss advancing the next steps in the European peace process.”

The U.S. efforts has faced a new obstacle earlier this week, when Moscow said it would toughen its negotiating stand after what it said was a long-range drone attack against a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in northwestern Russia early Monday.

Kyiv has denied attacking Putin’s residence, saying the Russian claim was a ruse to derail the negotiations.

In his New Year’s address, Zelenskyy said a peace deal was “90% ready” but warned that the remaining 10% — believed to include key sticking points such as territory — would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live.”

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential area of Kharkiv with two missiles Friday, Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram page, adding that Moscow’s forces “continue the killings, despite all the efforts of the world, and above all the United States, in the diplomatic process.”

At least 19 people in the eastern city were injured, including a 6-month-old, said regional administration head Oleh Syniehubov.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied launching any strikes with missiles or other airborne weapons on Kharkiv on Friday and suggested, without offering evidence, that the damage could have been caused by the detonation of ammunition at a weapons depot.

Earlier Friday, Russia conducted what local authorities called “one of the most massive” drone attacks at Zaporizhzhia. At least nine drones struck the city, damaging dozens of residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure but causing no casualties, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional administration.

Overall, Russia fired 116 long-range drones at Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s air force, with 86 intercepted and 27 striking their targets.

The Russian ministry said its air defenses intercepted 64 Ukrainian drones overnight in multiple Russian regions.

The Russian city of Belgorod was hit by a Ukrainian missile, according to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. Two women were hospitalized after the strike, which shattered windows and damaged an unspecified commercial facility and a number of cars in the region that borders Ukraine, he said.

乌克兰基辅——周五，乌克兰总统泽连斯基任命乌克兰军事情报局局长为新的总统办公厅主任。与此同时，美国正牵头开展外交努力，以结束俄罗斯近4年的入侵。

泽连斯基在宣布任命基里洛·布达诺夫将军时表示，乌克兰需要专注于安全问题、发展国防和安全部队以及和平谈判——这些领域都由总统办公室负责。

在反腐官员开始调查能源领域涉嫌贪污后，泽连斯基解雇了他的前任幕僚长安德烈·叶尔马克。

总统将布达诺夫的任命视为加强对安全、国防发展和外交的更广泛努力的一部分。

泽连斯基说：“基里洛在这些领域拥有专业经验，并且有足够的实力取得成果。”

39 岁的布达诺夫在 Telegram 上表示，他的新职位“既是一种荣誉，也是一份责任——在乌克兰的历史性时刻——专注于国家战略安全的关键问题”。

泽连斯基任命对外情报局局长奥列格·伊瓦先科接替布达诺夫担任国家安全总局局长。

“基辅情报工作的杰出人物”

布达诺夫是乌克兰战争时期最知名、最受欢迎的人物之一。自2020年以来，他一直领导着乌克兰军事情报机构，即乌克兰国家安全总局（GUR）。

他是一名职业军事情报官员，在俄罗斯于2014年非法吞并克里米亚后，在国防机构中步步高升。在2022年2月全面入侵之前，他还参与了与莫斯科支持的乌克兰东部分离主义武装战斗相关的特种作战和情报任务。据报道，他在一次这样的行动中受伤。

自全面入侵以来，布达诺夫已成为基辅情报部门的重要人物，他经常出现在采访和简报会上，这些场合既传递战略信号，又向莫斯科施加心理压力。他多次警告俄罗斯对乌克兰和该地区的长期意图，同时将这场战争描述为一场关乎国家存亡的斗争。

在布达诺夫的领导下，乌克兰国防军总局扩大了其行动范围，协调情报、破坏和特种作战，旨在削弱俄罗斯在前线以外的军事能力。乌克兰官员称赞军事情报部门开展了针对俄罗斯指挥机构、后勤枢纽、能源基础设施和海军资产的行动，包括深入俄罗斯领土和被占领土的袭击。

他被任命为总统办公室主任，标志着一个不同寻常的转变，将一名情报主管置于乌克兰政治和外交协调的中心。

基辅的独立政治专家伊戈尔·雷特罗维奇指出，布达诺夫曾参与与美国的会谈，“将更自然地融入”谈判的整体背景中。

“与叶尔马克不同，他既有这方面的经验，也曾在相关职位上工作过，”雷特罗维奇说，并补充说，GUR 还与俄罗斯在囚犯交换等问题上有过一些接触。

俄罗斯报告称，空袭造成的死亡人数更高

俄罗斯当局周五表示，他们所称的乌克兰无人机袭击乌克兰赫尔松地区一个被俄罗斯占领村庄的咖啡馆和酒店的事件造成的死亡人数上升至28人。基辅方面强烈否认袭击平民目标。

俄罗斯主要刑事调查机构——侦查委员会发言人斯韦特兰娜·彼得连科表示，在霍尔利村发生的袭击事件中，至少有 100 名平民正在庆祝新年，遇难者包括两名未成年人，另有 31 人住院治疗。

乌克兰总参谋部发言人德米特罗·利霍维否认袭击平民。他周四告诉乌克兰公共广播公司Suspilne，乌克兰军队“遵守国际人道主义法准则”，并且“只对俄罗斯军事目标、俄罗斯燃料和能源部门设施以及其他合法目标进行打击”。

他指出，俄罗斯一再利用虚假信息和不实声明来破坏正在进行的和平谈判。

美联社无法独立核实有关此次袭击的说法。

华盛顿方面赞扬谈判取得进展

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的特使史蒂夫·威特科夫周三表示，他与国务卿马可·卢比奥以及特朗普的女婿兼顾问贾里德·库什纳与英国、法国、德国和乌克兰的国家安全顾问进行了“富有成效的通话”，讨论“推进欧洲和平进程的下一步措施”。

本周早些时候，美国的努力遭遇了新的障碍。莫斯科表示，在周一清晨俄罗斯西北部俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京的住所遭到远程无人机袭击后，俄罗斯将加强其谈判立场。

基辅方面否认袭击普京的住所，称俄罗斯的说法是企图破坏谈判的伎俩。

泽连斯基在新年致辞中表示，和平协议“已完成 90%”，但他警告说，剩下的 10%（据信包括领土等关键症结所在）将“决定和平的命运、乌克兰和欧洲的命运，以及人们的生活”。

泽连斯基在他的 Telegram 页面上写道，周五，俄罗斯用两枚导弹袭击了乌克兰哈尔科夫的一个居民区，他还补充说，尽管全世界，特别是美国，在外交进程中做出了所有努力，莫斯科的军队“仍在继续杀戮”。

地区行政长官奥列格·西涅胡博夫表示，东部城市至少有 19 人受伤，其中包括一名 6 个月大的婴儿。

俄罗斯国防部否认周五对哈尔科夫发动了任何导弹或其他空降武器的袭击，并暗示（但没有提供证据）破坏可能是武器库弹药爆炸造成的。

周五早些时候，俄罗斯在扎波罗热发动了当地政府所称的“规模最大的”无人机袭击之一。据扎波罗热地区行政长官伊万·费多罗夫称，至少有9架无人机袭击了该市，损毁了数十栋居民楼和其他民用基础设施，但没有造成人员伤亡。

据乌克兰空军称，俄罗斯总共向乌克兰发射了 116 架远程无人机，其中 86 架被拦截，27 架击中目标。

俄罗斯国防部称，其防空部队一夜之间在俄罗斯多个地区拦截了64架乌克兰无人机。

据乌克兰别尔哥罗德州州长维亚切斯拉夫·格拉德科夫称，俄罗斯城市别尔哥罗德遭到乌克兰导弹袭击。他表示，袭击造成两名妇女入院治疗，并震碎了窗户，损坏了一处未指明的商业设施和多辆汽车。