Reports: Kyrylo Budanov builds government ties excluding SBU's Oleksandr Poklad

What happened

New Voice Ukraine reports that Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Presidential Office, has successfully developed cooperative or neutral relationships with most senior government figures. However, the outlet highlights that Oleksandr Poklad, acting chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), remains a significant exception, with growing friction cited between the two.

The report indicates that while Budanov’s network across government is strengthening, the unresolved tension with Poklad may reflect deeper divides within Ukraine’s security and intelligence community. This friction could have implications for internal decision-making and the management of security challenges.

Budanov’s role as a key figure in Kyiv’s defense and intelligence leadership makes his ability to maintain aligned working relationships critical, particularly given ongoing military and diplomatic pressures. The unsettled dynamic with the SBU chief points to possible challenges in unified governance or intelligence coordination.

Known from the source

• Kyrylo Budanov is Head of the Presidential Office.
• Oleksandr Poklad is acting chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
• New Voice Ukraine reports Budanov has cooperative or neutral ties with most top government officials except Poklad.
• There is reported friction between Budanov and Poklad according to New Voice Ukraine.

What remains unclear

As the source context provides limited details and no independent verification of the causes or extent of this friction, the claims remain unconfirmed beyond the local reporting by New Voice Ukraine. The information does not specify any operational impact or further reactions within government.

What remains unclear: Verify the extent and nature of friction between Budanov and Poklad with additional or official sources. Confirm any operational or governance impact of this reported internal conflict. Ensure clarity that friction claim is reported by a single local source and not independently verified.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: New Voice Ukraine. Open the source.