In a major shake-up of Ukraine’s wartime leadership, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the enigmatic and highly popular chief of military intelligence (GUR), as the new Head of the Office of the President. The announcement, made on Friday, January 2, 2026, signals a decisive shift toward “security-first” governance as Kyiv enters the final and most critical phase of peace negotiations with Russia and the United States.
Budanov, 39, replaces Zelenskyy’s longtime confidant Andriy Yermak, who resigned in late November 2025 following a high-profile corruption scandal involving the energy sector. By elevating the country’s top spy to his right-hand man, Zelenskyy is effectively merging the political and intelligence tracks of his administration.
“I had a meeting with Kyrylo Budanov and offered him the role,” Zelenskyy stated on official channels. “At this time, Ukraine needs greater focus on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces… as well as on the diplomatic track of negotiations.”
The President emphasized that the Office’s primary function will now be to support these strategic tasks. He has already instructed Budanov to work with the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to “update and submit for approval the strategic foundations of our state’s defense and development.” This directive suggests that Budanov will be the architect of Ukraine’s post-war security architecture, a role that will likely involve overseeing the implementation of security guarantees currently being brokered in talks with the Trump administration.
Budanov, known for orchestrating daring deep-strike operations against Russian infrastructure, accepted the role with characteristic brevity. “I continue to serve Ukraine,” he wrote on Telegram. “It is an honor and a responsibility to focus on critically important issues of the strategic security of our state.”
The appointment is seen by analysts as a move to restore public trust and consolidate control. While Yermak was often viewed as a divisive political gatekeeper, Budanov enjoys high approval ratings and is regarded as a non-political technocrat focused solely on victory. His transition to the Presidential Office leaves a vacancy at the GUR, which Zelenskyy announced will be filled by Oleh Ivashchenko, the current head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.
This leadership reset comes at a pivotal moment. With a US-brokered ceasefire framework reportedly near completion, Budanov’s presence at the negotiating table ensures that Ukraine’s intelligence assessment of Russian intentions remains central to any final deal. It also sends a signal to Moscow: while Kyiv is negotiating, its leadership remains dominated by hardliners prepared to defend national sovereignty at any cost.
