""Unfortunately, at a certain point, these narratives were spread in the Ukrainian information space, many of them were replicated by Russian propaganda," Budanov told BBC Ukraine."But there is nothing surprising in this. Throwing out rumors and disinformation is what they do to destabilize the country, and to destabilize the team," he added.Budanov insisted he had "normal working relations" with President Volodymyr Zelensky and his team.It's not the first time in recent months that rumors of Budanov's imminent dismissal have circulated.Zelensky on Oct. 21 denied similar rumors. "I wasn't going to do that. I was not going to replace Budanov. This information was circulating, yes. There was no such question about (Defense Minister Rustem) Umerov either," Zelensky said during a meeting with journalists.Zelensky's statement followed media speculation that Budanov was in line for dismissal.