Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, gave an online lecture to participants of the “Senior Executive Fellows” program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
During the lecture, Budanov shared his views on the shifts in the current world order, the challenges and threats to global security posed by the Russia-Ukraine war, the political situation in Russia under the Kremlin’s regime, and the potential for societal changes within the aggressor state.
Kyrylo Budanov noted that overcoming the destructive effects of Kremlin propaganda within Russia would require an unexpected situation inside society or a long-term systematic effort, which could only yield results in several decades.
“For Putin, internal stability is critical. That is why they invest everything conceivable—not just financial resources—into media control, social influence, and control of the masses.
By the way, it is one of the main reasons why Russia is not launching a new wave of open mobilization. The Russian leadership fears negative public perception, which is likely to occur if it is initiated,” he explained.
The Ukrainian intelligence chief also stated that he supports an inseparable approach in confronting aggressive Russia that combines force and diplomatic tools.
“Neither the Korean, Moldovan, nor German scenarios are possible here—they simply won’t work. This situation needs to be resolved once and for all,” said Kyrylo Budanov.
In his opinion, there are currently clear signs of the collapse of the world order established after World War II. Russia’s war against Ukraine is a vivid example of how one person has undermined the global security system.
“Either we all collectively force a return to the world order that was created and satisfied everyone more or less for many years, or it is time for a new world order,” concluded Kyrylo Budanov.
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