Russian president Vladimir Putin survived assassination attempt, Ukraine claims

Russian president Vladimir Putin was attacked in the Caucasus region shortly after he ordered his military into Ukraine, the Ukrainian intelligence chief has revealed.

Vladimir Putin survived an assassination attempt shortly after he sent Russian forces into Ukraine earlier this year, the Ukrainian intelligence chief has revealed.

Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov told Ukrainska Pravda of the Russian president: “He was even attacked in the line of, as they say, representatives of the Caucasus not so long ago.

“This is non-public information. (An) Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really took place … it was about two months ago.”

“I repeat, he was unsuccessful. There is no publicity about this event, but it took place.”

The Caucasus is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and parts of southern Russia.

The news that an attempt had been made to murder Putin has raised speculation about which of his enemies had initiated the attack.

Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and has battled with separatists in Chechnya since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union as well as invading Crimea in 2014 and then launching the war against Ukraine in late February.

Putin told filmmaker Oliver Stone in 2017 that there had been five assassination attempts against him. He claimed the only reason he had survived was because he personally appointed his security, which included highly trained bodyguards and sniper squads.

“I do my job and the security officers do theirs and they are still performing quite successfully,” Putin said in The Putin Interviews.

Mr Budanov’s remarks come after earlier revelations that Putin was in a “very bad psychological and physical condition and he is very sick”. Mr Budanov has also predicted that Putin would be at his most vulnerable in the latter stages of August when active combat actions will have finished and Ukrainian power will be “renewed” to recover the Donbas and Crimea. He said the pressure within the Kremlin would eventually lead to a change of leadership.

On Monday, there were signs of that internal upheaval within the Kremlin.

Boris Bondarev, a career Russian diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva, suddenly resigned his position, saying “never have I been so ashamed of my country”.

He wrote on social media: “Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not about diplomacy, it is all about warmongering, lies and hatred. It serves interests of few, the very few people thus contributing to further isolation and degradation of my country. Russia no longer has allies, and there is no one to blame but its reckless and ill-conceived policy.”

⚡Boris Bondarev, Russia’s Counsellor to the United Nations in Geneva resigns: "...never have I been so ashamed of my country." https://t.co/Bnz2lE4T9Opic.twitter.com/HiWDytsz27

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 23, 2022

He added: “We all must be responsible. And I don’t want to have any responsibility for what I don’t approve of.”

He said he had walked into work on Monday, submitted his resignation, and walked out.