Russian President Vladimir Putin survived an assassination attempt days after entering the war with Ukraine, the country's intelligence chief has claimed. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's Chief of Defense Intelligence claimed that there was an "unsuccessful attempt" to assassinate the Russian President two months back. However, he luckily survived.
Budanov claimed that two months ago, Putin was "attacked.. by representatives of the Caucasus," a region that comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of southern Russia. Budanov, on the other hand, did not link the murder attempt to the Ukraine crisis, and Putin has a number of long-standing opponents in the region from earlier battles.
Putin Almost Killed
Budanov said that it was a deadly attack but Putin luckily escaped it. "Putin was assassinated... He was even attacked in the line of, as they say, representatives of the Caucasus not so long ago," he told Ukrainian Pravda.
"This is non-public information. Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really took place... It was about 2 months ago."
"Once again, he was unsuccessful. There is no publicity about this event, but it took place. "
Budanov said this during an interview. The outlet said that the full interview will be aired on Tuesday. It is unclear who carried out the claimed attack or where it occurred. However, it happened while Putin was on a trip.
Budanov did not link the murder attempt to the Ukraine crisis, although Putin has a lot of long-standing adversaries in the region from prior conflicts. According to Business Insider, in the event of Putin's assassination, a "little-known tax officer" named Mikhail Mishustin would take control of the Russian state.
According to Business Insider, in the event of Putin's assassination, a "little-known tax officer" named Mikhail Mishustin would take control of the Russian state.
If the claim is true, it would be the first known assassination attempt on Putin's life since he declared war on Ukraine on February 24.
Putin's Life in Risk
This comes as speculation is rife that Putin is seriously ill and may be suffering from life-threatening ailments like cancer or blood cancer. The new claim now escalates tensions about Putin. However, this isn't the first time Putin has survived an assassination attempt.
He ordered a Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, which ended in an uneasy stalemate, and he has been fighting Islamist terrorists in the region, including ISIS, for several years. Fighting between Armenia, a close ally of Russia, and Azerbaijan, which included a war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh area in 2020, has also destabilized the security environment.
In the early months of this year, shortly before Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in late February, tensions along their shared border had risen.
According to reports, Putin has evaded four assassination attempts in the past, forcing him to hire his own sniper squad to protect him. The Russian tyrant is supposed to travel with an elite shoot-to-kill sniper unit wherever he goes.
The snipers' most crucial task is to track down other shooters and "kill them out" before they can fire on Putin.
On the day of the 2008 Russian presidential election, he was the target of a similar murder attempt, with a Tajik shooter caught hours before Putin was scheduled to give a speech in Red Square in Moscow.
Suicide bombers are reportedly said to have pondered targeting Putin during a 2007 trip to Iran's capital, Tehran.
Interestingly, the Russian President is reported to have been obsessed with the thought that he is being hunted, prompting him to take refuge in his remote bunker. Putin's army of hired assassins is the only one allowed near him because he is obsessed with assassination plots.
He even hires a team of people to taste his meal before he eats it, fearful of being poisoned.
