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Assassination attempt on Putin? Russian official claims helicopter at ‘epicenter’ of drone attack
A Russian military commander claimed that President Vladimir Putin's helicopter was ‘at the epicenter’ of a Ukrainian drone attack
A Russian military commander claimed that President Vladimir Putin's helicopter was ‘at the epicenter’ of a Ukrainian drone attack on May 20. Yury Dashkin, according to Russian news agency RBC, said that the alleged attack took place in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine is yet to respond to these claims. "We were simultaneously engaged in an air defense battle and ensuring airspace security for the president’s helicopter flight," Dashkin, commander of an air defense division, said, as per RBC. “The helicopter was effectively at the epicenter of the response to the massive drone attack.”
Putin was in Kursk earlier this week, his first visit to the Kursk Oblast region since March.
In January 2025, former Fox anchor Tucker Carlson claimed that former President Joe Biden's administration had attempted to assassinate Putin. Carlson made this allegation on his podcast, ‘The Tucker Carlson Show’. However, he did not back his claim with evidence. Back then, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian president is well-protected from potential threats.
Russia launches massive drone attack
Russian forces launched a barrage of 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight in the largest aerial attack of the war so far, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, officials said. The dead included three children in the northern region of Zhytomyr.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the United States, which has taken a softer public line on Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, since President Donald Trump took office, to speak out.
"The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin," he wrote on Telegram.
"Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia."
It was the largest attack of the war in terms of weapons fired, although other strikes have killed more people.
(With inputs from Reuters)
