Russian commander claims Putin’s helicopter was ‘on the epicenter’ of Ukrainian drone assault

A Russian army commander has claimed that President Vladimir Putin's helicopter was "on the epicenter" of a Ukrainian drone assault on Could 20 in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

The Kyiv Impartial couldn’t independently confirm this declare, and the commander didn’t present any proof.

"We had been concurrently engaged in an air protection battle and guaranteeing airspace safety for the president’s helicopter flight," Yury Dashkin, commander of an air protection division, mentioned, as cited by the Russian information company RBC on Could 25. "The helicopter was successfully on the epicenter of the response to the huge drone assault."

Ukrainian observers famous that the claims could possibly be an try and garner assist for the Russian president by portray him as extra intently concerned within the preventing.

Putin visited Kursk earlier this week, marking his first identified go to to Kursk Oblast since Russian forces took again many of the Ukrainian foothold within the area in March.

Ukraine launched its cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, marking the primary large-scale invasion of Russian territory by overseas forces since World Struggle II. It held a good portion of the territory till a profitable counter-offensive by Russia in March, which was carried out with the assistance of North Korean troops.

Ultimate guide on how drones changed warfare in UkraineThe Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrel provides an ultimate guide on how drones have changed the warfare in Ukraine — starting with an embed with a drone unit of the National Guard’s 14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade and providing even more insights with a step-by-step simulation on how fighting for an average village in Ukraine looks like now, three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion.The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell