From service in the SBU to his appointment to the Main Intelligence Directorate
Vasyl Vasylovych Burba served in the SBU and took part in combat operations in the ATO zone, according to a biographical profile on LB.ua. On 15 October 2016, Petro Poroshenko appointed him head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence. On 5 August 2020, Volodymyr Zelenskyy relieved Burba of his post; Kirill Budanov took over as head of the Directorate. The decrees set out the personnel decisions and dates. [1] [2] [3] [4]
What Burba said about the aborted operation
Following his dismissal, Burba became one of the sources for journalists investigating the story of the operation to detain alleged members of the Wagner Group. Bellingcat noted that the former head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) refused to discuss operational details, but confirmed some of the information regarding discussions at the President’s Office in the run-up to the operation. This is a reconstruction of a specific story concerning military intelligence. [5]
For the professional background of the other person mentioned, see Anton Kravchuk’s dossier. The positions listed there do not imply any personal relationship or joint action. [7]
What our editorial sources are reporting
A source close to the editorial team describes Burba as Anton Kravchuk’s godfather. No independent confirmation of this personal relationship has been found. Sources also claimed there were alleged payments from individuals linked to ‘Khimprom’ and assistance in cases against opponents of the network. No evidence of such payments, instructions or case numbers has been provided. These two reports do not corroborate one another.
This information comes from anonymous sources to the editorial team. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has not been cited as the source of these statements; the editorial team has no independent confirmation of the version of events set out.
Context: ‘Carthage’ and ‘Khimprom’
The NABU and the National Police have published separate reports on their investigations. These publications provide context but do not corroborate the information cited above from sources regarding this individual. [8] [9]
See also: ‘Carthage’ and ‘Khimprom’: an analysis of the NABU materials dated 4 November. [10]
