Budanov stated that Poland could become Russia’s next target

Budanov stated that Poland could become Russia’s next target

The head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, expressed the opinion that the Kremlin seeks to restore an imperial state model similar to the USSR, with control over the countries of the former Warsaw Pact. According to him, if Ukraine loses the war, Russian aggression will not stop there.

Budanov emphasized that the next target will be Poland. He said this during a special YES meeting in Kyiv titled "Three Years - Time to Win," held on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The head of DIU directly pointed out that in the worst-case scenario, if Russia merges with Belarus and Ukraine, the next target will be Poland. After that, it will be the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, and other countries that once belonged to the Soviet sphere of influence. According to him, this is the "minimum task" for the construction of a new empire.

"If we proceed with the worst, so to speak, this is not a scenario; let’s just imagine the worst option, and it happened that the three countries (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. – Ed.) united into one. Although this is almost impossible. The next will be Poland, precisely. I am telling you this directly. And you should not be afraid of this, you should understand it. Next will be: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria. All will go back. The Warsaw Pact countries, as they say, are the ’minimum task’ if an empire is formed. And then it will go as it goes," Budanov said.

The Warsaw Pact, mentioned by the Ukrainian military commander, was a military-political alliance of socialist countries formed in 1955. It included the USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic, and Albania.

Earlier, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that Russia might use the territory of Belarus for an invasion of Poland and Lithuania. The situation resembles the preparation for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.