File image.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, acknowledged on December 27 that the Russian military-industrial complex was fulfilling production plans.
In an interview with Suspilne, Budanov said that was a period when missile strikes were rare, but the Russian military-industrial complex then reached its peak capabilities and has since maintained them.
Russian production plans are fulfilled and often exceeded, the intelligence chief added, noting that neither Iran nor North Korea were involved in the production of drones and missiles in Russia.
The remarks represent a stark departure from the narrative that has been adopted by Ukraine since the start of the special military operation, which was mainly centered around portraying the Russian military-industrial complex as being ineffective, and heavily reliant on foreigner assistance, especially from Iran and North Korea.
This shift is not surprising considering that the surge in drone and missile production in Russia became very clear, with near daily strikes on military targets in Ukraine.
Kiev force’s recent defeats on the battlefield also raised questions about the claim that Russia was failing to meet its military production plans.
Just a day before the Budanov interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the military-industrial complex is operating steadily, providing the military with the necessary equipment.
“Compared to 2022, the production of products and items particularly in demand during the special military operation has increased significantly in 2025. The production of armored vehicles has increased 2.2 times, of light armored vehicles [infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers] by 3.7 times, and military aircraft by 4.6 times,” he said at a meeting on the state armament program.
Putin also revealed that Russia increased the production of weapons and ammunition by “more than 22 times” in recent years.
“All of this [the multiple growth in the production of weapons] is the result of the work of enterprises in the defense-industrial complex and, of course, the entire economy. Without development and a stable financial and economic situation, this would also have been impossible,” Putin added.
The shift in Ukrainian narrative may be an attempt by Kiev to prepare the public for what is coming. The rate of Russian missile and drone strikes is expected to increase even further next year, and Kiev forces will likely continue to lose territories. The country is already facing an energy crisis, and has lost three key cities, Myrnohrad, Huliaipole, and Siversk, in the last few weeks only.
The ongoing peace talks led by the United States may be the last chance for Kiev to avoid a total collapse. Budanov may be setting the mood for some hard choices.
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the so-called ukrainian leadership seems to have collective schizophrenia. wait a second here. i thought the russians were taking chips from washing machines, fighting with shovels and eating their fellow soldiers for lack of supplies?
my ex-wife transgender nazi poko molo humiliated by 🇷🇺 superiority—now wants to be yuri🤣