Assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin by Ukraine? Russian official makes big claim, says drone targeted his helicopter in...

A Russian military commander has claimed that President Vladimir Putin’s helicopter was caught in the middle of a Ukrainian drone attack earlier this week. The alleged incident happened on May 20 in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, according to Russian news agency RBC. Yury Dashkin, an air defense division commander, told RBC that Russian forces were defending against the drone strike while also securing the airspace for Putin’s flight. “We were simultaneously engaged in an air defense battle and ensuring airspace security for the president’s helicopter flight,” Dashkin said. “The helicopter was effectively at the epicenter of the response to the massive drone attack.”

Ukraine has not yet responded to these claims.

President Putin had visited Kursk earlier in the week. It was his first trip to the region since March.

This claim follows another high-profile allegation made in January 2025, when former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson said on his podcast that the US government under President Joe Biden had tried to assassinate Putin. Carlson did not provide any evidence to support the claim. At the time, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin was well-protected.

Meanwhile, Russia carried out what officials say was the largest aerial attack of the war so far. In an overnight assault, Russian forces launched 367 drones and missiles at various Ukrainian cities. At least 12 people were killed, including three children in the northern Zhytomyr region. Dozens more were injured.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the United States and other global powers to take a firmer stance against Russia. He criticised what he described as silence from the US and others since President Donald Trump took office.

"The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. "Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia."

While other attacks have caused more deaths, this was the largest strike in terms of the number of weapons used.

The situation continues to escalate, with rising tensions between Russia, Ukraine, and the international community.