Was Putin’s helicopter attacked by Ukraine? Kyiv debunks Russian fake news
Photo: Russian leader Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russia claimed that the helicopter of Russian leader Vladimir Putin was attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during his trip to the Kursk region. However, this is yet another fake news story from Russian propagandists, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
According to the report, Yuri Dashkin, commander of an air defense division in the Russian Armed Forces, claimed on the Russia TV channel that Putin's helicopter came under attack by Ukrainian forces during his visit to the Kursk region.
"In reality, Putin visited the Kursk region on May 20. It was his first trip to the region since the Russian Ministry of Defense declared it fully cleared of Ukrainian forces. Moreover, this is the first time there have been claims of Putin 'breaking through a swarm of drones' in a helicopter," the Center stated.
Pro-Kremlin media, covering Putin's visit, claimed he moved through the region exclusively by car. Federal TV channels broadcast footage of his motorcade. Furthermore, around those dates, neither the Russian Ministry of Defense nor local Kursk media and Telegram channels reported any drone attack that would match the scale described by Dashkin.
Putin's visit to the Kursk region
On May 21, the Kremlin reported that Russian President Putin had visited the Kursk region. Russia claims that Putin visited Kursk and Kurchatov, which is less than 100 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
Russia also claimed that Putin visited the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant-2, which is under construction. However, neither the Kremlin nor the Russian media provided evidence of Putin's trip to the Kursk region.
