Photo: RBC
Kyrylo Budanov said Ukraine should not expect internal changes in Russia to make the country safer, arguing that Moscow’s core ideology has remained unchanged throughout its history.
In an interview with Al‑Modon, Budanov said Russia’s political system — from the tsarist era to the Soviet Union and today — has followed the same imperial logic.
“Changes of regimes in Russia have never changed its essence,” he said, adding that Russian authorities historically focused less on improving citizens’ lives and more on maintaining imperial influence.
According to Budanov, Ukraine must help create conditions under which Russia ceases to exist as an empire. He suggested that several regional states could eventually emerge on the territory of the Russian Federation, each focused on the welfare of its own people.
“Only then will Ukraine, Europe and the wider world feel safer,” he said.
Problem goes beyond Putin
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said the root of the problem is not only Vladimir Putin personally but the political system built around him, which could reproduce a similar leader even if Putin were removed from power.
