Russia claims the attack happened during a visit to Kursk. Kyiv denied the attack, as tensions escalate with increased strikes and Western support enabling Ukrainian strikes inside Russia.
The Kremlin claimed on Monday that Ukrainian drones targeted a helicopter carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin following his surprise visit to the Kursk region last week. The Russian leader’s aircraft was reportedly “at the epicenter” of a large-scale drone attack carried out by Kyiv on May 20.
“We were simultaneously engaged in an air defense battle and ensuring airspace security for the president’s helicopter flight,” Yury Dashkin, commander of an air defense division, said, as cited by the Russian news agency RBC, per The Kyiv Independent. “The helicopter was effectively at the epicenter of the response to the massive drone attack.”
Kyiv has not acknowledged that any drone strike was carried out on Putin’s aircraft.
Rumors have already spread on social media that NATO had attempted to assassinate Putin.
Putin Visits the Kursk Oblast
Last week’s trip to the Kursk Oblast was the first undertaken by Putin since Russian forces retook most of the territory from Ukrainian troops earlier this spring. Kyiv had launched the attack into the region last August, the first large-scale invasion of Russia by foreign forces since the Second World War.
The Ukrainians had maintained a foothold until March, when the Kremlin launched a large-scale counteroffensive, supported by North Korean “volunteers.”
Putin’s visit to Kursk also came just days before Russia launched its largest ever missile and drone strike on Ukraine in the more than three-year-long war. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, around 363 “air attack vehicles,” nine cruise missiles, and 335 attack drones were targeted at Ukraine’s cities.
Kyiv said all of the rockets and 228 drones were either shot down or otherwise neutralized, but the remainder struck five different regions.
“Only a sense of complete impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and constantly increase their scale,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Why Did Trump Call Putin “Crazy?”
The attack on Ukraine drew a strong rebuke from US President Donald Trump over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, in which Trump described Putin as “crazy.”
“I’ve always had a perfect relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
Users on Russian social media have since fired back at Trump, with more than a thousand posts on VKontakte accusing the US leader of having dementia, with some calling him a “clown,” while one Russian suggested he was “throwing a tantrum early in the morning.”
Following the strikes on Ukraine, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that the West, including the United States, would lift range restrictions imposed on Kyiv for any weapon provided as military aid. That will free Ukraine’s military to begin targeting military facilities within Russia immediately.
“We will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine. According to Newsweek, this means we no longer have any range restrictions on the weapons we supply,” Merz told reporters.
“Ukraine can now also defend itself by attacking military positions in Russia.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Starikov Pavel.
