KYIV, Ukraine, Jan 2, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday named military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as the new head of his office, after his previous top aide resigned in November over a corruption scandal. "I had a meeting with Kyrylo Budanov and offered him the role of the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine," Zelensky said on social media. Formal procedures to appoint him as the president's chief of staff have been launched, Zelensky's adviser Dmytro Lytvyn told journalists. When appointed, Budanov will replace Andriy Yermak, who resigned in November after investigators raided his house as part of a sweeping corruption probe. The four-year conflict, the deadliest on European soil since World War II, has killed tens of thousands and ravaged swathes of Ukrainian territory.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha January 02, 2026 13:19 UTC