Marianna Budanova who is widely known as the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has been in the headlines recently. She is a Ukranian professor and politician. Marianna has been diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning. Let’s get to know more about her life and how she was poisoned in this article.
Who Is Marianna Budanova?
Marianna Budanova was born on 3rd August, 1993 in Kyiv, Ukraine. She grew up in a village named Stavishche. Although her past is still unknown, sources have provided a glimpse into her life and revealed that she has a master’s degree in psychology. She graduated from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in psychology in 2014. She also studied at the National Academy Of Public Administration under the President Of Ukraine, where she obtained a diploma in public administration.
Marianna Budanova’s Career
Budanova began her professional life as a psychologist and professor at the National Police Academy of Ukraine, where she instructed students in communication techniques, conflict resolution, and psychological assistance. After earning her advanced degree, Marianna worked as a volunteer for two years at the Main Military Hospital in Kyiv.
Later, she entered the political sphere and served as the mayor of Kiev’s advisor from 2018 to 2020. Presently, Marianna Budanova teaches legal psychology as a professor at the National Police Academy of Ukraine.
Marianna Budanova And Kyrylo Budanov
Marianna and Kyrylo met in 2016 when they both were working on a joint project between the National Police Academy and the Main Directorate Of Intelligence. The couple got married in 2017. Being married to Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s defence ministry, Marianna is well aware of the dangers that come with her husband’s important position.
Marianna Budanova’s Poisoning
According to sources, the wife of Ukraine’s head of intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, was poisoned on 28th November, 2023. Budanova developed symptoms from the poisoning first but “several other employees were confirmed to have been poisoned,” sources told. “They are just bigger-built, so they didn’t notice any signs of it; they are now receiving treatment.” The source also said that Budanova has completed the first round of treatment.
The alleged poisoning of Budanov’s wife, if verified as intentional, would be the most significant attack on a prominent Ukrainian leader’s family member during the conflict’s 21-month duration.
About Kyrylo Budanov
Kyrylo Budanov is a Ukrainian military leader who has been the chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine since August 2020. Budanov previously served as the Deputy Director of one of the Departments of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine. He holds the rank of lieutenant general. He graduated from the Odessa Institute of the Ground Forces in 2007.
Budanov began his military career in the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence after receiving his degree in 2007. He participated in the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014 and sustained multiple injuries. He took part in special operations between 2018 and 2020.
On April 4, 2019, a Russian name “Alexei Lomaka” planted a mine in Budanov’s Chevrolet Evanda automobile, but it exploded before it had a chance to do so. Both the assailant and the group responsible for sabotaging Budanov were taken into custody.
He was appointed Deputy Director of one of the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service’s departments in 2020. Budanov was appointed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, as the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence on August 5, 2020.
