Russian President Vladimir Putin’s helicopter came under fire from Ukrainian drones during his visit to the contested Kursk region last week, the Kremlin has admitted.
Yury Dashkin, commander of an air defense division, revealed Sunday that while Putin made his victory rounds in the reconquered Russian region on May 20, his helicopter was caught in the middle of an aerial barrage from Kyiv, state news agency TASS reported.
The helicopter was “virtually at the epicenter of repelling a large-scale attack by the enemy’s drones,” Dashkin claimed.
“Therefore, we simultaneously conducted an air defense battle and ensured the safety of the presidential helicopter’s flight in the air,” he added.
The revelation of the attack came just before Russia launched its biggest ever drone and missile strike on Ukraine — drawing a rebuke from President Trump.