The head of the MDI blames the SBU for Kireiev's murder. The head of the SBU, Ivan Bakanov, was apparently unable to explain to Budanov how this happened

Kyrylo Budanov said this in an interview with Radio Liberty.

On March 5, Ukrainska Pravda, citing its sources, stated that the Security Service of Ukraine had killed Russian agent Denys Kireiev.

On January 18, The Wall Street Journal published an article about Kireiev. This article suggests that Kireiev cooperated with the Main Directorate of Intelligence and provided information through his contacts in Russia.

On January 22, Radio Liberty published an interview with the head of the MDI Budanov, in which he described Kireiev's death in more detail.

He stated that he had known Kireiev since 2009. The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence is sure that the murdered man was not a Russian agent.

Kireiev took part in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus. "I sent him there," said Budanov and added: "the main task we gave him was to delay the process to buy us time. Since Mr. Kireeiv personally knew two people who represented the Russian side on that negotiation process."

Kireiev was called to a meeting at the Security Service of Ukraine. He went there from Budanov's office. SBU operatives stopped his car on the way. Kireiev told his bodyguards not to accompany him and got into a van of the Service. He was later killed, and his body "fell out of this van."

"I know very well all these people who executed him," said Budanov and added that the murder was organized by people "primarily from the Ukrainian side."

Budanov discussed this incident with the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Ivan Bakanov. The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence claims that Bakanov was unable to explain what happened. After that, Budanov and Bakanov allegedly stopped talking, although the former headed the SBU for another 4 months.