Ukraine’s intelligence chief blames internal failures for mobilisation crisis video

The head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), Kyrylo Budanov, has acknowledged serious internal problems with the country’s mobilisation process, stating that Ukraine itself bears primary responsibility for undermining it, while Russia’s influence has been exaggerated.

In an interview with Ukrainian media, Budanov said that the key failure lay in the public communication strategy surrounding mobilisation. “The main mistake, purely in my view, was a completely lost media campaign. Completely. It allowed the temperature around mobilisation issues to rise. We all blame the Russian Federation, but its influence is not as great as everyone thinks,” he said.

According to Budanov, the roots of the crisis are domestic rather than external. He explained that the problems emerged inside Ukraine, “sometimes deliberately, because of the personal ambitions of certain individuals, and sometimes thoughtlessly.” Emphasising personal responsibility, he added: “We destroyed our own mobilisation. No matter what anyone says to the contrary, that is not true. We destroyed it ourselves.”

Reports note that video footage related to mobilisation efforts is increasingly appearing from Kyiv.

Concerns about the pace of mobilisation have also been raised by lawmakers. On December 4, Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, said Ukraine must intensify conscription, warning that current recruitment levels are insufficient to meet the military’s needs. According to his estimates, around 30,000 people are mobilised each month, which he said is only half of the number required to adequately replenish the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Ukraine has been under a state of general mobilisation since February 2022, with the measure repeatedly extended.

Authorities have sought to prevent men of conscription age from evading military service, while many have attempted to leave the country by various means, often at great personal risk. 

At the same time, social media platforms continue to circulate videos showing forced mobilisation practices and confrontations between civilians and military enlistment officers in cities across the country.

By Tamilla Hasanova