Ukraine Military Spy Chief's Wife Poisoned In Suspected Assassination Attempt

Ukraine has been shocked by an apparent assassination attempt against the wife of Ukraine's top intelligence official, who has fallen ill and was hospitalized after being poisoned. Marianna Budanova, the wife of Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, who is the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (DUI) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, was sickened and heavy metals of an unknown origin were found in her system.

Ukrainian media says she sought treatment after a "prolonged" period of not feeling well and Ukrainska Pravda cited official sources who say Budanova was "most likely poisoned through food." 

Multiple news agencies have picked up on the poisoning allegations, and have suggested it may be part of a larger poisoning plot:

"Yes, I can confirm the information, unfortunately, it is true," GUR spokesperson Andriy Yusov told Reuters, without clarifying when the poisoning took place.

The BBC's Ukrainian service cited Yusov as saying that several GUR officials had also experienced milder symptoms of poisoning.

There have long been prior reports claiming that Gen. Budanov himself has already survived some ten assassination attempts. As head of DUI of the defense ministry, he's played a leading role in carrying out major military operations against Russian forces. 

Ukrainian media sources say that the heavy metal poisoning was confirmed after Marianna underwent tests, but they have not identified a specific poison or substance.

"Yes, I can confirm the information, unfortunately, it is true," GUR spokesperson Andriy Yusov said of what's being investigated as an assassination attempt. An official statement sought to underscore that the substances were "not used in any way in everyday life or military operations."

There's also been no indication of just when the poisoning is believed to have happened. The GUR statements said further, "Their presence [heavy metal toxins] may indicate a deliberate attempt to poison a specific person."

To be expected, immediate suspicion has centered on the possibility this could involve Russian intelligence seeking to take out a very high ranking Ukrainian military and intelligence official or his wife. However, there are other plausible theories, including the scenario of an internal military coup attempt. Recently, the Zelensky government has overhauled military leadership after a series of corruption scandals.

There's also the recent bizarre episode of 'accidental' death of a high-ranking Ukrainian military commander. Earlier this month, a top aide to Ukraine’s armed forces commander-in-chief, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, died after he opened a wrapped gift that contained live grenades (which were alongside fake ones, apparently) at his residence.

Here's what we wrote at the time of the mysterious death by grenade-laden gift box assassination, and it has parallels to this latest poisoning incident...

One initial theory has been that it was no accident at all, but a targeted assassination of a key military decision-maker. Inside Russia, there's been a string of assassinations by Ukrainian intelligence, with among the most notable being the car-bombing of Darya Dugina in August of 2022 outside Moscow. Perhaps this was a retaliatory Russian intelligence operation on Ukrainian soil?

Or else, could this have been the work of an internal rival faction within Ukraine? Has the night of the long knives begun in Ukraine? One thing is for sure--this is an incredibly strange story.

If the poisoning of the spy chief's wife was the work of a Russian asset, the Kremlin will certainly not own up to it, so the public may never know the ultimate truth or source of the poisoning.