Putin's helicopter 'at epicentre' of Ukrainian drone attack, claims Russian commander

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a Russian military commander has claimed that the country’s President, Vladimir Putin’s helicopter was “at the epicentre” of a Ukrainian drone attack. Yuri Dashkin, Russia’s air defence commander, said the incident took place on May 22 in Russia’s Kursk Oblast .

The incident was reported by both the Russian and Ukrainian media, however, the Kremlin has not issued any statement in this regard. The Russian commander noted that the Ukrainian attack was repelled by its forces.

“We were simultaneously engaged in an air defence battle and ensuring airspace security for the president’s helicopter flight,” Yury Dashkin, commander of an air defence division, said, as cited by the Russian news agency RBC on May 25. “The helicopter was effectively at the epicentre of the response to the massive drone attack,” he added. Meanwhile, Moscow state media noted that the Russian Air Forces destroyed 46 drones during the attack.

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What does Ukraine have to say?

According to The Kyiv Independent, the Ukrainian observers noted that the claims could be an attempt to garner support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. They argued that Russia wanted to paint him as more closely involved in the ongoing war.

It is pertinent to note that Putin visited the Kursk Oblast earlier this week after Russian forces took back most of the Ukrainian foothold in the region. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Russia launched a record-breaking attack on several regions in Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv.

According to the Ukrainian Air Forces, the attack involved around 298 drones and 69 missiles. In a statement on the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed the world for being silent about the Russian aggression . “Each such terrorist attack by Russia is a sufficient reason for new sanctions against Russia. Russia is dragging out this war and continues to kill every day,” he said.

“The world may go on vacation, but the war continues, despite weekends and weekdays. This cannot be ignored. America’s silence, and the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin," he added. Soon after Zelenskyy’s remarks, US President Donald Trump issued a warning to his Russian counterpart. “If he wants all of Ukraine, it’ll lead to Russia’s downfall," he said, accusing Putin of prolonging the war.

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While speaking to reporters at Morristown Airport in New Jersey, Trump said he is “not happy with Putin” . “I’m not happy with what Putin is doing. He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac before boarding Air Force One en route to Washington.

He went on to call the Russian leader “crazy”. “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever,” the POTUS wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“I’ve known him a long time, always got along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all," he added. The latest Russian strike killed 13 people in Ukraine.