Kyrylo Budanov, the head of\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s Presidential Office, told The New York Times that he\u00a0regularly communicated with Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of\u00a0the Wagner mercenary group, while serving at\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) under the Defense Ministry.<\/p>\n
Budanov said his contact with Prigozhin ended shortly before Wagner\u2019s , and he\u00a0did not disclose further details about the negotiations.<\/p>\n
No\u00a0official reports had previously indicated that Budanov and Prigozhin had any contact at\u00a0all.<\/p>\n
The Washington Post reported<\/a> in\u00a02023, citing sources, that Prigozhin had offered HUR representatives a\u00a0deal: he\u00a0would hand over information on\u00a0Russian troop positions that Ukraine could use to\u00a0attack them, in\u00a0exchange for a\u00a0Ukrainian withdrawal from Bakhmut.<\/p>\n Prigozhin mocked<\/a> the report: \u201cYes, of\u00a0course, I\u00a0can confirm this information. We\u00a0have nothing at\u00a0all to\u00a0hide from foreign intelligence services: Budanov and I\u00a0are still in\u00a0Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n Yevgeny Prigozhin died in\u00a0a\u00a0plane crash in\u00a0August 2023, two months after leading the mutiny.<\/p>\n Kyrylo Budanov has led Ukraine\u2019s Presidential Office since January 2026, after heading the HUR for six years. He\u00a0has also taken part in\u00a0negotiations to\u00a0end the war with Russia.<\/p>\n At\u00a0Meduza, we\u00a0are committed to\u00a0transparency about our use of\u00a0artificial intelligence in\u00a0the newsroom. The story you\u2019re reading was written by\u00a0one of\u00a0our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an\u00a0AI\u00a0model configured to\u00a0follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is\u00a0the result of\u00a0extensive testing and refinements to\u00a0ensure our English-language coverage is\u00a0timely and accurate. A\u00a0Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.<\/p>\n If\u00a0you find any errors in\u00a0this translation, please contact us\u00a0at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n