Europe not seriously prepared for war on its own territory - top spy

This was stated by Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, in an interview with Channel 24, according to Ukrinform.

“Europe was not seriously preparing for war on its territory. No one in Europe was preparing for war on European territory. And not just any war, but a serious one. Absolutely no one. Russia was preparing, Europe was not,” the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate emphasized.

When asked why this happened, Budanov noted that it was a misconception of security.

"You know, it has always been this way. All empires that flourished always thought they were the strongest and most powerful. That's how it seemed. And they all have one thing in common: they ceased to exist in the face of the threat of barbarian invasions. And the barbarians always won. Because a comfortable life leads to a parallel reality. This is exactly what has happened to Europe now,“ he said.

The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense expressed hope that it would not come to a direct, as they say, invasion of barbarians. ”But if this happened today for some reason, the result would be obvious," Budanov believes.

He expressed the opinion that active hostilities in Ukraine will end first, and then Russia may expand the scope of its offensive actions.

"And I am basing this, at a minimum, on the information I have. Until it's over, nothing will happen there,“ the head of the DIU is convinced.

Responding to a question about how many years Europe has to prepare, Budanov suggested that according to current plans, there is time until 2030.

”But they [the Russians] are now reducing and shortening the deadlines," he said.

As reported by Ukrinform, a “window of opportunity” to end Russia's war against Ukraine may open in early or mid-February 2026.