Ukraine's defence intelligence chief comments on airborne landing in Pokrovsk

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), has said that an airborne landing by Defence Intelligence troops in Pokrovsk was the only way to turn around a very difficult situation in the city and bring in the main units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: Budanov in an interview with 24 Kanal, a Ukrainian 24/7 TV channel

Details: Budanov noted that at that point, the Russians – specifically Russian Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov – had already informed Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin that the city had been captured.

Quote: "The situation in and around Pokrovsk is extremely difficult. Yet we are still somehow holding on… Why was that operation needed in precisely that format [an airborne landing from helicopters]? Because the situation was as tense and acute as it could have been.

You have to understand what things were like at that moment. Nothing else would have worked. What we did was to gain precious time so that the main Ukrainian Armed Forces units could reach the city to reinforce it, so to speak. After that everyone in Russia stopped saying 'The city has been taken' and started saying there is 'an advance', there is 'success', and there is 'heavy fighting ongoing in the city'."

More details: Budanov added that he did not command the airborne landing operation.

Quote: "The operation was under the control of the unit's commander. I was close at hand and helped him where I could."

More details: Regarding Pokrovsk, Budanov expressed hope that combined political and diplomatic efforts and the work of the military, above all the soldiers in the trenches, will "enable us to emerge from this difficult situation in the right way".

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