General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (MID), says the world made a fundamental mistake about Russia in its prewar assumptions.

“Everyone thought that Moscow had a strong army, but a weak economy. It turned out to be the opposite. Their army is weak. Although the Russian economy may be weak, the country is by no means starving. At the current rate, [economia rusă] can last quite a long time,” he said in a long interview with the newspaper Le Monde, which is analyzed below his “X” page. security expert Giorgiy Revishvili.

Like General Valery Zaluzhny, chief of the Kyiv General Staff, Budanov blames the failure of Kyiv’s summer offensive on the widespread use of mines and drones by the Russian army, rather than a lack of training of Ukrainian forces.

“The widespread use of drones by both sides makes it impossible for both Russia and Ukraine to conduct offensive actions. Another factor is the density of minefields, which we haven’t seen since World War II,” he said.

Budanov also noted that the current sanctions imposed by the West and Ukraine’s partners in the rest of the world against Russia are not enough, arguing that they should really affect “the main sectors of the Russian economy: energy, metallurgy and the financial system.”

Budanov says that the Ukrainian army needs all types of weapons

Speaking about the current shortcomings of the Ukrainian army, the head of the Ukrainian Army noted that it needs more shells and artillery systems.

“It’s not just about modern technologies. We are interested in everything, including old systems that are no longer in use. The issue of quantity is essential,” he claimed.

The Ukrainian general also noted that people from abroad, who are “tired” of hearing about Ukraine, “will have to deal with the Muscovites themselves when they come to occupy their territories.”

The true scale of the impact of Western sanctions on the Russian economy remains one of the most debated topics related to the war in Ukraine, with analysts and economists oscillating between excessive optimism and cautious caution.

The European Union adopted its latest package of sanctions against Russia on the 12th of last December. Among other things, the EU’s new measures aimed to eliminate the methods by which Russia circumvents sanctions against the export of its oil.

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