Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly found himself flying directly into a Ukrainian drone barrage during a recent visit to Russia’s Kursk region, according to both Russian and Ukrainian news outlets.
The commander of air defenses in the Kursk area, Yuri Dashkin, stated that Ukrainian drones launched a heavy strike while Putin’s helicopter was airborne.
“The intensity of the attack during the flight of the aircraft carrying the supreme commander over the territory of the Kursk region significantly increased,” Dashkin said, as quoted by Russia’s Vesti news agency.
Dashkin explained that air defense forces were actively engaged during Putin’s travel through the region.
“We simultaneously conducted air defense combat and ensured air safety during the president’s helicopter flight. [The president’s helicopter was] essentially at the epicenter of repelling a massive attack by enemy drones.”
Reports from Moscow-based media claimed that the Russian military successfully neutralized 46 drones during the encounter.
Meanwhile, Ukraine endured one of its largest assaults since the war began, with multiple regions — including Kyiv — under attack late Saturday night. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the offensive included approximately 298 drones and 69 missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a strong statement on Telegram, criticizing the lack of global response to the strikes and arguing that such silence only emboldens Russia.
“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.”
Later that day, Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine, condemned the overnight bombardment, calling it a breach of international law.
“The indiscriminate killing of women and children at night in their homes is a clear violation of the 1977 Geneva Peace Protocols designed to protect innocents,” he wrote.
In another security development, air traffic was briefly halted at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow after Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned of an incoming Ukrainian drone assault.
Elsewhere, both nations confirmed a major prisoner swap involving 1,000 individuals, carried out over the weekend.
“I thank the team that worked around the clock to successfully carry out this exchange,” Zelensky wrote on X/Twitter. “We will definitely bring back every single one of our people from Russian captivity.”
{Matzav.com}