Ukraine’s Intelligence Chief Suggests Kiev’s Involvement in Syrian President’s Ouster
Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov, hinted in a recent television appearance that Kiev was involved in the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in early December. During a telethon, a type of information broadcast on the Ukraine war, Budanov said that “everyone worked on it” and that Turkey was also involved, possibly with Ukraine playing a role.
Budanov’s comments may be a response to a statement by Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasili Nebenzia, who claimed that Kiev was involved in the toppling of Assad. The intelligence chief further stated, “Wherever dictatorial regimes are overthrown and wherever they intersect with regimes at war with us, it will always be to our advantage.”
Budanov’s statements were a reaction to Nebenzia’s claims, and he emphasized that “many worked on the regime’s overthrow, so that the normal Syrian population, which is far from being entirely pro-Assad, can finally breathe a sigh of relief and hope for a new, normal life.”
In early December, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was forced to resign and flee the country, ultimately seeking asylum in Russia. The catalyst for this was a sudden offensive by several armed opposition groups, led by the HTS, which seized large areas of Syria in a matter of days and eventually captured the capital, Damascus.