Kremlin staged drone attack on Putin's helicopter

A claim by the Russian Defence Ministry that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin was "in the epicentre of a drone attack" has turned out to be a staged performance by the Kremlin.

Source: The Moscow Times, an independent Amsterdam-based news outlet

Details: Russian state media claimed earlier this week that when Putin visited Kursk Oblast for the first time since the hostilities began in the area, his helicopter came "under fire from Ukrainian drones". In reality, this was not a combat incident but a meticulously staged event.

Four sources within the government and the Kremlin told The Moscow Times that security officials promoted this shocking and "risky" episode in the media to convince Russians that their leader is not hiding behind others, but is also supposedly taking risks and making sacrifices.

Amid regular drone strikes, chaos at airports and mobile communication outages, this televised stunt was intended to portray Putin as someone who "shares the dangers" with the country and thus sends a message to the public – "war is war".

The Moscow Times reported that Putin had indeed visited Kursk Oblast, to which, according to the official narrative, he had travelled by helicopter. In fact, the oblast is frequently targeted by Ukrainian attacks. However, the sources said Putin’s security had been ensured at the highest possible level.

"No one would ever allow such criminal negligence. Not even in a nightmare," said one official close to Putin’s administration and familiar with his security system.

The Moscow Times reported that the "sensational claim" that Putin’s helicopter had found itself "in the epicentre of a large-scale enemy drone attack" was disseminated by the Russian Defence Ministry via the state-run VGTRK television channel.

Kremlin-aligned reporters did not accompany Putin on this trip, nor did a professional filming crew. The footage was captured by other individuals, including a security officer, two informed sources told The Moscow Times.

Background: Earlier, Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security denied claims that Putin’s helicopter came under attack from the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

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