Claims of Unsuccessful Attempts to Kill Putin Surface from Ukrainian Intelligence Chief
Ukraine | July 14, 2024, Sunday // 10:11| views
Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov stated that there have been several assassination attempts against Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to DPA. He noted, "But, as you can see, they were unsuccessful," during an interview with the Ukrainian website The New Voice of Ukraine. Budanov did not provide details on the basis for his claims or whether they involved Ukrainian intelligence.
The Kremlin reacted to Budanov's comments through spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who emphasized that Putin's security measures are robust. "The threat from the regime in Kyiv is obvious," Peskov remarked, as reported by TASS. Budanov suggested that Putin is no longer a universally accepted figure among the Russian elite, yet his long tenure has led to a widespread fear of instability should he be removed from power.
According to Budanov, the potential fallout from Putin's death would evoke memories of the reaction to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's death in 1953, when citizens felt their world had collapsed. While Budanov claimed that an assassination attempt by Caucasian men occurred in May 2022, shortly after Putin's invasion of Ukraine, DPA noted there is no evidence supporting this assertion.
In an earlier interview, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that he had lost count of the number of times he had heard about plots against his life. He highlighted that Russian special forces had been actively pursuing him in Kyiv following the February 2022 invasion. Furthermore, in May 2024, the Ukrainian government reorganized Zelensky's security leadership due to allegations that Moscow had hired individuals to assassinate him, as reported by Budanov and other officials.
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