“Terrible numbers”: Budanov told how the Russians almost took Kyiv
If the Russian military transport aviation had managed to land at Gostomel airport near Kiev, then the fall of the Ukrainian capital would have become inevitable.
The PolitNavigator correspondent reports this in an archived interview with anti-Russian propagandist Dmitry Komarov, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Kirill Budanov, stated.
He claims that the day before the start of the Russian military operation he found out the exact time of its start.
“About 15.00 on the 23rd, we definitely received that everything should start tomorrow at 4.00,” Budanov said.
According to him, immediately after the start of hostilities, he went to the airfield in Gostomel.
“The most important thing was the Gostomel airfield. Delay disembarkation. Because the whole plan of the Russians was a rapid landing at the Gostomel airfield and from there an entrance to Kyiv. This was generally the only plan,” says the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate.
“The numbers were quite scary,” he continues. – There were up to 30 Ilovs in one wave in the air. During the day on the 24th they tried several times. They lifted, landed, entered the territory of Belarus, turned around, because they were unable to quickly take control of the runway.”
Budanov added that the Russians “needed to create a picture of a massive offensive and no alternative to surrender.”
“No one expected to fight like in Mariupol. There were no such options. They believed that no one would be able to create serious opposition to them and they would enter the government quarter and change the leadership. Because, in their opinion, the leadership of the state would have to run away somewhere at this time, if not, they would destroy it,” recalls Budanov.
He claims that the GUR special forces delayed the Russian landing in Gostomel for 12 hours, then the artillery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces arrived, covering the runway, making it unusable.
“If the occupiers had managed to land, then excuse me, but Kyiv would have been taken,” Budanov believes.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.