Ukraine announced its intention to isolate itself from Russia with a 100-kilometer security zone

One of the main conditions for ending the war in Ukraine will be the creation of a demilitarized zone with Russia at least 100 kilometers wide, said Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

“The question of ending the war is the creation of a demilitarized zone. This is our goal, ”said Budanov in an interview with the Icelandic YouTube channel. According to him, the distance of 100 km is “absolutely correct”, since it will be impossible to cover it by “conventional means”.

Budanov noted that the political model in Russia is unlikely to change even after the departure of President Vladimir Putin, so such a demilitarized zone is a necessary means of protection, including from a new “tyrant with ambitions.”

In the current phase of the war, the Russian army has exhausted itself, noted the head of the GUR. According to him, the number of the Russian Armed Forces is still large and Moscow will have human resources for an indefinite period, but their quality will only decrease, both in terms of military training, as well as equipment and armament.

Budanov also spoke about the founders of Wagner PMC Evgeny Prigogine. In his opinion, Prigozhin’s influence in the Russian system of power will not weaken, even though he never managed to capture Bakhmut. At the same time, the conflict between the head of the PMC and the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov is not ostentatious, but real, but in the end Prigozhin will prevail over the army of the leaders and establish a tribunal over them, Budanov believes.

In addition, the head of Ukrainian intelligence spoke about cooperation with some representatives of the Russian opposition. “We’re working with some numbers. It is absolutely clear that they are a source of information for us,” Budanov said. He assured that over time, Ukraine and Russia will begin to interact, as these countries border each other.

In the end, he advised the president of the Russian Federation to withdraw troops from Ukraine and try to “at least somehow give Russia a future.”

In November 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed his “peace formula” consisting of 10 points, including: nuclear, food and energy security, restoration of territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities. There was no sense of a demilitarized zone in Zelensky’s proposal.