Russian President Vladimir Putin has survived an assassination attempt, a Ukrainian military official said. The admission comes amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has intensified, and rumours swirling around Putin’s health.
According to Major General Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the “unsuccessful” attempt took place in the Caucasus – a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea – shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
As per Ukrainian media reports claiming Budanov as saying, “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 two months ago,” he added.
The claim has not been checked, but comes a week following reports coming that President Putin has undergone a surgery to remove fluid from his abdomen.
Further, an oligarch with close ties to the Russian leader has reportedly been recorded as saying, “Putin is very ill with blood cancer”.
Earlier this month, Budanov predicted that the Ukraine war would reach a turning point by mid-August and be over by the end of this year, leading to change of leadership in Russia.
He had also claimed that a coup to overthrow Russian President Vladimir Putin is underway and could not be stopped.
As far as Mr Putin is concerned, he publicly disclosed in 2017 that he has survived as least five assassination attempts and claimed that he wasn’t worried about his safety.