DISINFO: Ukraine's spy chief says it needs a ceasefire by end of 2025
SUMMARY
Ukraine needs a ceasefire by the end of 2025, Ukraine’s spy chief Kyrylo Budanov has said. A truce with Russia must be brokered as soon as possible, he stated.
RESPONSE
This is a deliberate distortion of Kyrylo Budanov’s original interview with Bloomberg, aiming to advance a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russia’s superiority in the battlefield, its supposed invincibility and its inevitable victory in Ukraine.
The original text in Bloomberg states: ‘Budanov said a ceasefire must be reached as soon as possible and well before the end of this year. “Is it realistic to do so - yes. Is it difficult - no,” he said. “It takes at least three sides - Ukraine, Russia and the US. And we will get to this position”’. This is much more nuanced that what this disinformation story claims, as Budanov never stated that “Ukraine needs a ceasefire”. However, by falsely claiming he did, this disinformation story aims to portray Ukraine as being in a situation so dire that even the head of its military intelligence would be admitting it.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation constantly tries to portray Ukraine as in the verge of crushing defeat against Russia, something that is far from true. While the toll of Russia’s aggression is certainly high for Ukraine, Russia’s situation is also complicated, facing serious military problems, massive human casualties and mounting economic troubles.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia holds all the cards while Ukraine badly needs a respite, that Putin’s proposal shows his greatness by giving the defeated a chance to negotiate, that Ukraine cannot dictate the peace terms because it lost the war, that the Nazi Zelenskyy regime is within months of falling, that UK and France are unable to accept defeat in Ukraine, or that Ukraine and Europe have lost in the Ukrainian conflict.