A German newspaper alleges that Ukrainian special forces tried to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin using a military drone packed with explosives, Breitbart reports.
The Kremlin has dismissed the claims, calling it a baseless fabrication.
German newspaper Bild reported that Ukraine had received advanced intelligence of Putin’s planned visit to a factory on Sunday, enabling them to carry out a long-range strike.
The publication cited their own research and quoted pro-Ukraine activist Yuriy Romanenko, who is said to be close to Ukrainian intelligence.
According to the sources, the drone, which carried 17 kilograms (37 pounds) of ‘C4’ plastic explosives, managed to infiltrate Russia’s air defenses.
The Associated Press had reported on Monday that a military drone carrying explosives crashed 19 miles from the center of Moscow.
Bild’s source Romanenko commented on the alleged assassination attempt, saying, “Putin, we are getting closer.”
While Russia confirmed the discovery of a “fallen drone stuffed with explosives” outside Moscow, they denied any connection to an assassination plot. A Kremlin spokesman dismissed the claims as “yellow-press-style fabrications,” stating, “No, we are not familiar with these publications. Right now, there are a lot of such various ‘yellow-press-style fabrications.’ This does not mean that we should look into them.”
In a separate but ironic development, President Putin recently expressed his support for the expansion of Russia’s civilian drone industry, calling it a field of “critical importance” for the nation’s economic development and technological sovereignty, according to Russian news media.
He emphasized the need to encourage young people interested in designing and operating drones by providing opportunities as part of their early education.
“It is necessary to include training courses and modules on the operation of unmanned systems in educational programs” in various sectors, including agriculture, construction, energy, and transport, Putin said during a meeting with top officials and industry experts on Thursday.
“I fully support the proposals… for children to be able to learn to control, assemble, and design drones in school,” he added, explaining that this “interesting and useful” activity will serve as an “early career guidance that will ultimately benefit the country.”
