Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, spoke in an interview with The Economist about the role of drones in the combat operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and addressed concerns about the "risk of escalation" due to an increase in strikes on Russia.
"Drones will undoubtedly facilitate the operations to liberate our territories. Drones have no fear. They are expendable," Kyrylo Budanov stated.
By using combat drones, Ukraine aims to achieve several objectives:
- Exhaust Russian air defense systems.
- Disable military equipment, including aviation.
- Cause damage to Russian defense industry enterprises.
- Create a psychological effect among the Russian population.
- Disrupt economic processes in Russia.
"We want to take them [the Russians] out of their comfort zone," Kyrylo Budanov explained.
He denied that the new offensive capability would lead to escalation from Russia's side or portray Ukraine as the aggressor.
"No one considers Great Britain or the United States as aggressors in World War II, even though they also bombed German territory," Kyrylo Budanov pointed out.
According to him, there is no reason to talk about the risk of escalation, also because during the Russian-Ukrainian war, all conventional weapons, from submarines to strategic aviation, have already been used.
Throughout Russia's history, war has been a constant, so hoping that Moscow will voluntarily cease hostilities is not realistic, just as discussing peace or a ceasefire at this stage of the conflict is not appropriate.
"We understand that we will not end the war with a victory parade in Moscow. But Moscow should not expect to hold it in Kyiv either," Kyrylo Budanov emphasized.
