The wife of Ukraine’s military intelligence chief has been poisoned

kyiv – the wife of the head of intelligence Ukraine He was diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning and is being treated in hospital, an agency spokesman said on Tuesday.

Mariana Budanova is the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, head of the GUR military intelligence agency. Agency spokesman Andrii Yusov confirmed the information to The Associated Press.

The spokesman did not provide further details about the alleged poisoning or the identity of the culprits.

A few months ago, Yusov told the Ukrainian press Budanov survived 10 assassination attempts by the FSB, the Russian state security service.

Earlier, Budanov had told the press that his wife lives with him in his office, suggesting that he was the real target of the attack.

Russia He did not immediately comment. Russian press and commentators noted the Ukrainian reports and some speculated that it could be civil strife in Ukraine.

GUR sources told Ukrainian press that Budanova was hospitalized in Kyiv.

The exact nature of the metals that caused the poisoning has not been publicly disclosed. Local press reported that they were not metals used in the country’s military equipment, which is why GUR agents assessed that the poisoning was intentional, possibly in food or drink.

In addition to Budanova, several other GUR employees were found to have the same poison. An official statement from GUR with more details is awaited.