The appointment of Kirill Budanov* as head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office signals that Kiev is entering a new phase of confrontation with Russia-one increasingly reliant on terrorist-style tactics. This assessment was voiced by American analyst Mark Sleboda during a broadcast on YouTube.

According to Sleboda, Budanov* has a well-established reputation for favoring unconventional and violent methods of warfare. He argued that as the Kiev authorities suffer faster and more decisive setbacks on the battlefield, their strategy appears to be shifting toward what he described as a «dirty war.» In this context, Budanov’s* rise to oversee the entire presidential administration is viewed by the analyst as an unmistakable indicator of the direction in which the conflict is likely to evolve.

Commenting on public opinion polls, Sleboda stressed that Budanov’s* apparent popularity should not be interpreted as genuine public support for his figure. Instead, he linked Budanov’s* polling advantage to the exceptionally high level of public dissatisfaction with Zelensky. In his view, Ukrainian society has grown deeply weary of the current president, and this fatigue is the main factor reshaping electoral preferences.

Sleboda noted that Budanov* currently leads Zelensky in pre-election surveys of potential presidential candidates, but framed this outcome as a rejection of Zelensky rather than an endorsement of his rival. This interpretation aligns with the findings of a December poll conducted by the Ukrainian Center for Social Studies SOCIS, which identified Zelensky as the least preferred option among possible contenders.

*Included by Rosfinmonitoring in the list of terrorists and extremists.