Ukraine used ‘kamikaze drone’ in Putin ‘assassination attempt’
Ukraine reportedly tried to kill Vladimir Putin with a drone packed with explosives but was thwarted after details leaked to Russian authorities.
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Ukraine tried to assassinate Vladimir Putin using a drone packed with explosives, according to reports.
The wreckage of one of Kyiv’s drones was discovered just a few kilometres from Moscow earlier this week and it’s believed it either overflew or was circling the Russian capital.
According to a report in The Sun, the UJ-22 drone was found in bushland in the Noginsk area and its location is closer to Moscow than any previously disclosed Ukrainian attack drone.
Police said it was stuffed with 17kg of Canadian M112 explosive charges.
It has been claimed the drone was on a mission to kill Mr Putin, who was on a visit to a newly built industrial park just a few kilometres away last Sunday.
The allegation was made by Ukrainian activist Yuriy Romanenko who tweeted “our intelligence officers received information about Putin’s trip to the industrial park in Rudnevo”.
He suggested that prompted Ukraine to launch a “kamikaze drone, which flew through all the air defences of the Russian Federation, and fell not far from the industrial park”.
Mr Romanenko, the co-founder of Ukrainian Institute for the Future, said that when news of the drone attack leaked, Mr Putin adjusted his schedule and remained in his Kremlin office.
“Considering how much Putin is obsessed with his own security, this story could have huge implications for the Kremlin,” Mr Romanenko said.
Mr Romanenko has described himself as a “political expert” and he reportedly has ties to Ukrainian intelligence.
Mr Putin is now scheduled to visit the site on Thursday local time, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.
Ironically, he will tour an exhibition held by drone manufacturers and hold a meeting on the development of unmanned aircraft.
The drone was reportedly discovered by a local woman.
Explosive experts worked at the site where the drone crashed for five hours to make safe the explosives, according to Russian state media reports.
From the early days when they were used to hold up Russian forces near Kyiv, Ukraine has employed drones to deadly effect throughout the war.
But as well as knocking out Russian tanks with spectacular effect, Ukraine appears to using drones to take the battle into the heart of its enemy’s territory.
Moscow is around 450 kilometres from the closest point in Ukraine in a straight line but has so far not been directly hit though Kyiv appears to be continually trying.
The drone appears to have evaded the capital’s air defences which have been strengthened in recent weeks.
It may have crashed among trees after running out of fuel, according to Russian sources, although its supposed flight route and target are unclear.
If proven to be a Ukrainian military drone, it would confirm Russian fears that Moscow is vulnerable, despite the huge deployment of air defences around the city.
Ukrainian drones also appeared to sow panic in St Petersburg as the airspace around Russia’s second largest city was closed.
It comes as leaked spy documents have revealed Ukraine plotted an audacious attack on Moscow to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
The mass strikes were ultimately called off after the United States intervened and warned Kyiv its plan could lead to a nuclear war between the West and Russia.
The plans for the February 24 attack on Moscow by Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence, were revealed in classified documents seen by the Washington Post.
Ukraine’s intelligence boss Major General Kyrylo Budanov instructed his officers to prepare for “mass strikes” with “everything HUR had”, the National Security Agency documents reveal.
As well as attacks on Moscow, the Ukrainians also mulled over hitting the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
But officials in Washington appear to have become aware of the plans and became concerned they could have sparked a wider military clash.
Initial attempts to persuade the Ukrainians appear to have been unsuccessful after it emerged Ukraine’s SBU security service also had plans to attack Moscow.
Then two days before the attack would have gone ahead, the CIA said the HUR “had agreed, at Washington’s request, to postpone strikes”.
While Ukraine held off from an attack on Moscow to mark Russia’s invasion, just after the anniversary, a Russian air base was rocked by massive explosions following a suspected drone strike.
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