A Russian court has issued yet another — the third in a row — in absentia arrest order against Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing Budanov's own statement and TASS reports, a case has allegedly been opened against him on charges of "using prohibited means and methods of waging war." The Ukrainian side emphasizes that such rulings by the occupation courts have no legal force, either for the person named or for the international community.
'Third anniversary': Budanov's reaction
Budanov himself reacted to the decision with irony, calling it his "third anniversary" arrest. In his statement, he stressed that the rulings of the so-called Russian "court" have no significance for him or for the rest of humanity. "The only thing that matters is my work, which forces the enemy to panic and produce such masterpieces of absurdity. I consider such actions by the enemy a sort of acknowledgment of effectiveness. Well, we can't lower the bar — I will continue to work just as productively," stated the Head of the Office of the President.
Chronology of the in absentia arrests
According to available data, this is already the third in absentia arrest of Budanov in Russia. In April 2023, the Lefortovo Court of Moscow adopted a similar decision when a case was opened against him under the article on "terrorism." At the end of 2023, the Basmanny Court of Moscow for the second time issued an in absentia arrest order for Budanov, claiming his alleged involvement in more than 100 drone attacks on the territory of the aggressor state. Now, according to Russian media reports, the court allegedly rejected the "defense's appeal" filed by Budanov.
Contradictory data
Russian reports contain a number of inconsistencies. In particular, it is stated that the court "rejected the defense's appeal" of Budanov, while propaganda sources do not specify who exactly is acting as the "defense" for the Ukrainian official, who is at liberty in Ukraine, or what the basis for this appeal was. Moreover, the wording varies: some outlets write of an "in absentia arrest," others — of an issued "arrest warrant." The Ukrainian side rejects the very legitimacy of such procedures, considering them an instrument of propaganda rather than justice.
Context: the practice of in absentia cases
The decision on Budanov fits into a broader practice of in absentia "judicial" acts, which, according to Kyiv's assessment, are used as a propaganda tool. Recently, an occupation court on the occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region sentenced Ukrainian journalist Iryna Levchenko to 15 years in prison on charges of alleged espionage. A Russian court also issued an in absentia arrest order for Conor Kennedy — the great-nephew of the 35th President of the United States, John Kennedy — accusing him of mercenarism through his participation in the war on the side of Ukraine.
