Russia has accused Ukraine of orchestrating an assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin using a "kamikaze" drone loaded with 17kg of explosives, which crashed just outside Moscow. This alarming development emerges as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine enters its 14th month.
Kremlin officials assert that Ukraine targeted Putin with a UJ-22 drone during the Russian president's scheduled visit to an industrial park in Rudnevo, a small village approximately 40 miles from Moscow. The alleged assassination attempt reportedly took place on Sunday.
Ukrainian activist Yuriy Romanenko tweeted, "Our intelligence officers received information about Putin's trip to the industrial park in Rudnevo." He claimed that Kyiv deployed a "kamikaze drone, which flew through all the air defenses of the Russian Federation, and fell not far from the industrial park." Romanenko added, "Considering how much Putin is obsessed with his own security, this story could have huge implications for the Kremlin."
Following the drone crash confirmation, Putin canceled his trip to Rudnevo. The Russian president is now expected to visit the industrial park on Thursday. Russian state media reported that a 35-year-old Moscow woman discovered the alleged kamikaze drone while in the woods to bury a deceased kitten.
Explosive experts spent five hours at the crash site before declaring the area safe and took the drone for analysis. If true, this attempted assassination would represent Ukraine's closest effort to target Putin since he ordered the invasion of the neighboring country in February 2022.
The alleged assassination attempt comes amid growing concerns about Putin's increasing paranoia regarding potential threats to his life. When the 70-year-old Russian leader visited a Moscow church to celebrate Orthodox Easter earlier this month, he was accompanied by a large contingent of bodyguards to protect against possible assassination attempts.
Furthermore, recent reports revealed that Putin has created a series of identical offices throughout Russia in an effort to deceive and confound potential assassins.