Russian court "arrests" head of Zelenskyy's office in absentia for third time

The Moscow City Court has "arrested" Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the President's Office and former head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), in absentia on charges of allegedly "using prohibited means and methods of warfare". This is the third time Russia has "arrested" Budanov.

Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agencies RIA Novosti and TASS

Details: The Russians accused Budanov of "using means and methods prohibited by an international treaty of the Russian Federation in an armed conflict".

The propagandists also reported that the court had rejected Budanov's "defence appeal", without specifying who had filed the appeal or for what purpose.

Background:

• In December 2023, a Russian court issued a second ruling ordering the "arrest" in absentia of Budanov.
• Also in 2023, despite Russia and its armed forces having started the war and regularly attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, the Russian Investigative Committee brought charges against senior Ukrainian military leadership, including Budanov, over drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia.

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