(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The wife of Ukraine’s military intelligence chief has been reportedly poisoned in what appears to be an attempted murder, according to several Ukrainian officials cited in a New York Post report.
Marianna Budanova, a university professor and wife of Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, who heads the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR), was rushed to the hospital following a prolonged deterioration in her health due to poisoning by heavy metals but remains stable.
“Yes, I can confirm the information, unfortunately, it is true,” a GUR spokesperson told Reuters. The use of metals not commonly found in everyday life points toward a potentially deliberate act.
“The course of treatment is now being completed, and then there will be a check-up by the doctors,” stated a GUR spokesperson, as reported by media outlet Babel. “These substances are not used in any way in everyday life and military affairs. Their presence may indicate a purposeful attempt to poison a specific person.”
The alleged poisoning comes after Budanov, who has led several operations against Russia, survived ten attempts on his life following the country’s conflict with Russia, as stated by the agency to The Economist in June.
Budanov previously mentioned that he and his wife reside in his office due to apparent security concerns.
Other members of the intelligence agency experienced similar symptoms. However, officials noted that Budanov’s wife faced more severe symptoms due to her body weight.
“Since Budanov’s wife is small and light in weight, it manifested itself faster in her. And poisoning was confirmed in several other employees: they are just a little huge, they didn’t notice anything about themselves, now they are also being treated,” sources informed Ukrainska Pravda, according to an English translation of the quotes.
Reportedly, the wife of the intelligence chief began feeling unwell, prompting authorities to conduct tests that later revealed she had been poisoned.
As reported by the NY Post, some of the woman’s organs were affected but she remains stable after undergoing treatment.
Valeriy Kondratyuk, a former head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, claimed in an interview with a Russian outlet that Russian agents might be behind the poisoning. However, official authorities have not provided an explanation for the alleged poisoning.
