President Zelenskyy Appointed Budanov as Office Head and Included Him in Commander-in-Chief's Staff

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy carried out a series of large-scale personnel changes in the top state leadership, with a key decree being the appointment of Kyrylo Budanov as head of the Presidential Office.

Budanov's Appointment

According to decree No. 39/2026, Zelenskyy not only appointed Budanov as head of the Presidential Office but also included him in the personal composition of the Commander-in-Chief's Staff. Along with Budanov, the Chief of Military Intelligence Oleh Ivashchenko and Deputy Minister of Defense Serhiy Boiev were also introduced to the Staff.

Changes in Staff Composition

Along with the appointments, the president removed Serhiy Deineka from the Staff, who was previously dismissed from the position of head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

Context of Appointment

Experts assess this appointment as another step towards militarizing the top state governance. In particular, Roman Pohorilyi notes that this involves strengthening the negotiation and security component in the Presidential Office's work.