“Since the person has already died, we can talk about it: the main task that we set for him is to drag out the process in order to gain time. Since Mr. Kireev personally knew two people from that negotiation process who represented the Russian side,” said Budanov.
In his opinion, the goal of Kireev’s killers was to prevent him from fulfilling his task in the negotiations.
“The one who deliberately did this had the goal of preventing us from interfering in someone else’s game and dragging out this process in order to allow our Armed Forces, let’s say, to take certain actions to repulse the enemy. If you remember those events, then then the situation was close to critical. I think you should remember this well. And there was a certain number of people who, let’s say, did not really want Ukraine to win. This is my personal opinion. I emphasize again,” the head of the GUR said.
Answering the question whether these people were from the Ukrainian side, Budanov said: “First of all, from the Ukrainian side. This is first of all.”
He also told why he decided to speak publicly about Kireev’s death right now.
“My motivation is very simple. I am now forced to comment on all this, including communicating with you, because a serious information wave has begun and a very serious wave of opposition has begun. In principle, I’m used to living with opposition. says. However, I will not allow anyone to defame the memory of our hero! That’s all, “Budanov said.
Kireev attended the negotiations of the delegations of Ukraine and Russia in the Gomel region on February 28, 2022. The president’s office did not release his name. in the list of delegation membershowever, published by the Russian agency TASS and Belarusian BELTA a photo of him can be seen from the side of the Ukrainian delegation.
March 5 “Ukrainian Truth”, referring to sources, wrote that Kireev was shot dead during the detention by the SBU officers. According to the interlocutors of the publication, the secret service “had clear evidence of Kireev’s treason, including telephone conversations.”
On the evening of March 5, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense stated on Facebook that Kireev was a scout and died during the execution of a special mission. “Heroes do not die! They live as long as we remember them,” the press service of the GUR noted in this post.
On January 17, 2023, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, explained the death of Kireev poor coordination between law enforcement agencies. He also stated that Kireev was not a Russian agent.
On January 18, The Wall Street Journal published an article about Kireev. In particular, it contains Budanov’s commentary on Kireev’s role in repelling Russian aggression. He, according to Budanov, helped thwart Russia’s plans to capture Kyiv.
On January 22, Budanov announced that Kireev voluntarily went to the SBU on the night of the murderbecause he was called there. However, SBU officers intercepted him on the way, took him away in a minibus, in which they then killed him and threw out the body, the head of the GUR claims.
