The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kirill Budanov, believes that Russians should get used to provocations by their own military, as happened in Belgorod. At the same time, the Ukrainian side cannot comment on speculations about its involvement in this.
Budanov stated this in an interview for Spiegel.
Specifically, Budanov said he could not comment on incidents in Russian Belgorod, including fuel depots. But he commented on Russian threats to hit "decision-making centers" in Kyiv.
"What's my response to that? Haven't the Russians shelled Kiev before? Of course, they don't want to imagine that war could touch their territory. I understand that it is difficult for them to admit that for the first time since 1943 there are attacks on Russian territory. But they have to get used to it," Budanov noted.
According to him, Ukrainian intelligence has information that the Russian side itself is preparing provocations.
"The purpose of such staging is usually to justify its own aggression. This time the purpose is different: first, it is about consolidation of its society, which in its mass refuses to fight. It needs to show that Ukraine is a terrorist state, a threat that must be stopped. And secondly, to divert public attention from Bucha and other cases of violence and killing of children. So, if train stations, power plants or fuel tanks explode in the next few days and blame Ukraine every time, I will not be very surprised," Budanov added.
As a reminder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier denied the involvement of Ukrainian forces in the incidents in Belgorod, stating that Kiev had never used weapons to attack Russia on its territory.
