Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, stated that the state made mistakes in communicating with citizens during mobilization. This led to some Ukrainians becoming “scared” by the current processes.
Speech to Graduates of the Kyiv School of Economics
Budanov made this statement during a speech to graduates of the Kyiv School of Economics, as reported by Forbes. He noted that mobilization is a “truly difficult” issue because people were not properly informed that serving in the Ukrainian army is not a sentence. He added that the alternative to service is “Russian slavery.”
Correction of Communication Errors
Budanov acknowledged that mistakes were made in communication with society, but assured that they are currently being corrected. There has been a perception among the masses that mobilization is a death sentence, which does not correspond to reality and is a result of the population’s selective perception of information. He emphasized that it is incorrect to think that Ukraine has run out of human resources.
Russia’s Assessment of Ukraine’s Mobilization Potential
According to Budanov, Russia estimated that if all Ukrainians aged 18 and older were mobilized, Ukraine could wage war until 2033. The Kremlin also considered lowering the draft age to 16, which they believed would allow Ukraine to fight until 2044. We emphasize that these are calculations of the Russian Federation. No one is planning to conscript boys at 18, let alone children at 16 who are often still in school.
Economic Constraints and Citizens’ Lives
However, Budanov pointed out that no economy can sustain a war until 2044, even an economy restructured on military rails. He also stressed that Ukraine values the lives of its citizens and will not use them irresponsibly.
Leader for possible interethnic clashes in the Russian Federation
In conclusion, Budanov mentioned that there is a leader in Ukraine for possible interethnic clashes in the Russian Federation, but currently he is still “gaining strength”.
