Russians' faith in their country's safety 'broken' by Ukraine's deep strikes, Budanov says

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Ukraine's strikes deep into Russian territory have "broken" the faith Russian people hold that their country is powerful and safe, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said on Sept. 14.

Speaking during the 20th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) meeting in Kyiv, Budanov said the strikes have had a "serious effect on the social-psychological situation," adding that "the (Russian) people's belief in that they live in a safe country has been broken. It is the main achievement of all these deep strikes.''

The comments come amid intense debate between Ukraine and its allies over the issue of allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory with foreign-provided weapons.

Ukraine has for months requested permission to use foreign weapons to strike within Russian territory, but many partners including the U.S. and Germany have refused over fears of escalation.

Ukraine has instead used domestically-produced drones to target Russian cities in mass attacks, ramping up these attacks in recent weeks.

The U.S. began providing Ukraine with Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which have a range of up to 300 kilometers (190 miles), in the spring.

While these missiles have been used in Russian-occupied Crimea, Washington's restrictions prevent their use on Russian soil.

However, it's understood the stance of Western nations has changed in light of Iran supplying Russia with ballistic missiles, with some reports that the U.K. has already decided to grant Ukraine permission to use Storm Shadows to strike targets deep inside Russia.

At the summit, Budanov also expressed concern about North Korea's supply of ballistic missiles to Russia and predicted that Russia may be forced to conduct another wave of mobilization in summer 2025.