Russian President Putin Survived Assassination Bid After Start Of Ukraine War: Report
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, said Putin was even attacked but the information was not made public.
New Delhi: An Ukrainian military official has said that there was an attempt to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two months ago. In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, said Putin was even attacked but the information was not made public.
Budanov said the assassination attempt took place in the Caucasus - a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea - days after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
"There was an attempt to assassinate Putin…He was even attacked, it is said, by representatives of the Caucasus, not so long ago. This is non-public information. (It was an) Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really happened…It was about 2 months ago," Budanov told Ukrainska Pravda.
"I repeat, this attempt was unsuccessful. There was no publicity about this event, but it took place," he further said.
READ | Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘Seriously Ill’, Ukraine Invasion ‘Element’ Of Illness: Report
The development comes amid rumours over Putin's health problems. Recently, reports emerged that Putin underwent a surgery to remove fluid from his abdomen. NewLines Magazine had reported that it got access to an audio recording of an oligarch close to Kremlin who said that Putin was "very ill with blood cancer".
His health came under further scrutiny after his frail appearance during the Victory Day celebrations where he was seen sitting with a thick blanket covering his lap, reported Independent. Moreover, Putin, who appeared bloated, was also seen coughing and walking with a limp at the event.
Last month, a footage emerged showing Putin slouching and tightly holding a table during a meeting with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu. The 69-year-old was seen holding onto the corner of the table during the entire meeting.
Moreover, days before Russia invaded Ukraine, Putin had hosted close ally and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow. During that meeting, Putin was seen with his hand clutched to his chest and shaking.
Recently, a US media report claimed that Putin might undergo cancer surgery and could temporarily hand over his powers to someone else. A report by US's New York Post claimed that Putin might hand over his power to the secretary of the country's Security Council Nikolai Patrushev.
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