During his first international visit as chief of staff to Ukraine’s president, Kyrylo Budanov posed for a photo near the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris.
Budanov is open about his admiration for the early 19th century French emperor and his “extraordinary” achievements. As a military campaigner, Napoleon captured Moscow, which was later largely destroyed by fire during French occupation — a feat with obvious allure for Ukrainians defending against Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion for more than four years now.
“As a political figure, too, he accomplished remarkable things,” Budanov, 40, said in a rare interview in his dimly lit Kyiv office, a large chess set and a samurai katana sword to one side.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.