The wife of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, Marianna Budanova, was secretly taken to the United States in December 2024 to treat the effects of arsenic and mercury poisoning.
This was reported by American journalist Katie Livingston on the social network X, citing several of her own sources.
According to her, Budanova first suffered from poisoning in 2023, when she was stabilized. However, at the end of 2024, her condition deteriorated sharply - experts note that this is exactly the course typical of heavy metal poisoning.
American military medics, having learned about the situation, offered assistance, and Marianne Budanova was transported for treatment to the United States. Livingston emphasizes that in Ukraine, the possibilities for full treatment of such cases are still limited.
The journalist also reported that the international investigative groups Bellingcat and Insider are investigating the circumstances of the poisoning.
Last month, Budanova appeared in public for the first time after a long absence.
“Her poisoning — as the wife of one of the key leaders of Ukrainian intelligence — and her treatment outside Ukraine reaffirm how personal and persistent the threats remain for those on the front lines, both literally and symbolically,” Livingston notes.
