Budanov: For a repeat military coup in Russia, a leader is needed on the ground, and one of them is currently in Ukraine

Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Defence Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, believes that a leader on the ground is needed for a repeat military coup in Russia. One such leader is currently in Ukraine and is gaining capacity.

He said this during a speech to KSE graduates, Forbes reports.

According to him, Ukraine has known about the preparations of the private military company (PMC) Wagner for the rebellion for six months. However, there are no current impulses for such a scenario in Russia.

«If we talk about conditional rebellions of ethnic groups, this requires a leader on the ground. We have one, and he is here, but he is gaining capacity. Then we can talk about something. Nothing ever happens by itself; the Wagnerian riot was prepared in advance», — he stressed.

As a reminder, in June 2023, the leader of the Wagner PMC, Yevhen Prigozhin, mutinied. Back then, Wagner’s men seized administrative buildings in Rostov, passed through Voronezh, and launched an offensive towards Moscow. However, the rebellion was put down within a day.