Head of the Intelligence Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed to Radio Free Europe that Denys Kireev was an employee of the GUR. The former banker was killed in March 2022 by secret services suspected of having ties to Moscow after he provided critical information about an upcoming Russian invasion that helped the Ukrainian army counter the Russian advance on Kyiv.

Denys Kireev, who participated in Russian-Ukrainian negotiations at the beginning of the invasion, was an employee of the Intelligence Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Budanov said in an exclusive interview with Radio Free Europe.

According to the head of the GUR, he was killed by SBU officers in a security service car in Kyiv on March 5, and his body was dumped on the street.

Budanov stated that he has known Kireev personally since 2009, and the head of the GRU rejects the version that Kireev could have worked for Russia.

RFE/RL spoke with Budanov shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that it was Kireev who had warned the Ukrainian leadership in detail about Putin’s plans to attack Kyiv on February 24.

According to the WSJ, when Kireev was on his way to Belarus for a second negotiating meeting, he was killed on the way by SBU officers who believed him to be a Russian agent.

Only one official commented on Kireev’s shooting

Later, Mykhailo Podolik stated that Kireev was killed due to a disagreement between the GUR and the SBU.

Budanov stated that he “knows very well those who executed Kireev” and had a conversation with the then head of the SBU, Ivan Bakanov, about the murder, which was his last.

The head of the GRU also said that he did not want to comment on the statements of Podolyak, the only high-ranking official who commented on the incident, but agreed with the presidential adviser’s firm statement that Kireev was definitely not a Russian agent.

Kireev passed all checks

Budanov noted that Denys Kireev passed all checks, including a lie detector test, declaring him a hero of Ukraine for his key role in informing the military about Putin’s plans to be killed by SBU officers.

Asked whether this was a breakdown in communication and coordination between the authorities or simply settling scores with Kireev, Budanov said: “I think the problem is much deeper. However, I will keep my opinion to myself. Let’s just assess the facts. The facts indicate that a person who was on his way to the SBU building, at the invitation of the SBU, was intercepted 200 meters from the building, taken a little further from the building, and his body thrown into the street. These are facts.”

Kireev was sent to Ukraine’s negotiations with Russia from Belarus because, according to Budanov, he knew two people in Putin’s delegation, and his main goal was to buy time.

The investigation into Kireev’s death is still ongoing

“I can express my subjective opinion. I want to emphasize once again: the person who did this deliberately aimed to prevent us from interfering in someone else’s game and to drag out this process in order to enable our Armed Forces, say, to carry out certain actions to repel the enemy,” Budanov said. when asked whether Kireev’s execution was aimed at disrupting negotiations or weakening Ukraine’s position.

The head of military intelligence of Ukraine refused to comment on the statement of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky that the actions of the then head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov, who was dismissed by the head of Kyiv, could have led to the death of people.

The investigation into Kireev’s murder continues in Ukraine.

Read the most important information from 333rd day of the war in Ukraine