Putin's helicopter under fire: Ukraine beats back!
Putin's helicopter under fire: Ukraine beats back!
Kursk, Russland - On May 20, 2025, Major Juri Daschkin, who is responsible for air defense in the Russian region of Kursk, reported on an unprecedented incident in which Wladimir Putin helicopter became a suspected goal of a Ukrainian drone attack during his visit. According to Derwesten.de , Russian defense systems should have intercept the enemy drones, while Putin was possibly equipped with defense systems.
Putin visited Kursk to meet governor Alexander Chinstein as well as local officials and volunteer organizations. This was his first visit to Kursk since the intensive fights in August 2024, where Ukrainian units have moved up to 35 kilometers in Russian territory. During the visit, Putin promised support for the repair of houses damaged by the war. In this context, Chinstein, known for his aggressive rhetoric, even called for the annexation of the Ukrainian region of Sumy, whereupon Putin reacted jokingly, reported fr.de .
attack and subsequent reactions
During the alleged drone attack, Russian air defense destroyed a total of 46 Ukrainian drones. However, it remains unclear whether Putin was actually in the helicopter during the attack. The Ukrainian side initially did not react to the allegations, but later rejected Daschkin's statements as a lie and said that there was no evidence that Putin was traveling in the helicopter. Instead, the media close to the cremal only came up with pictures of him in a vehicle convoy. The Kremlin had only announced Putin's visit to Kursk after his departure, which led to speculation about the intentions of the Ukrainian military, so Derwesten.de .Some experts suspect that Ukrainian armed forces must have been informed about Putin's travel plans if an attack was planned. This is reminiscent of the incident in May 2023, when a Ukrainian drone hit the Senate Palace in the Kremlin, which can be seen personally as the most direct attempt to date. The British “Telegraph” points to this parallel and thus illustrates the tense situation between the two countries.
political consequences and outlook
The geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine have continued to worsen due to the incident in Kursk. At the end of April 2025, the Russian military announced that Kursk was completely under control again, an assertion that was rejected by Ukraine. In addition, on May 25, 2025, there was the greatest prisoner exchange since the beginning of the Ukraine War, in which 1,000 soldiers were replaced. This exchange was decided as part of discussions in Istanbul, which were otherwise unsuccessful. Wolodymyr Selenskyj criticized the silence of international actors and called for stronger pressure on Russia to support the suffering civilian population.
The uncertainty about future negotiations between Ukraine and Russia remains, while the international community is under pressure in view of these events to take active steps towards conflict resolution. Further information about the political dynamics can be found in the detailed document of the Bundestag here .
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| Ort | Kursk, Russland |
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