An alleged assassination plot against Vladimir Putin by Ukraine has been foiled after Russia’s defence minister called his counterpart at the Pentagon, Moscow says.
Russian intelligence has reportedly uncovered a covert operation by kyiv to attack the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg on July 28.
Such an attack would have plunged Russia and the United States into an “uncontrollable conflict” that could lead to a nuclear Third World War, according to Russian state television Rossiya 1, which interviewed Putin’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who called the alleged plot “madness.”
The Navy Day parade was attended by dictator Putin, 71, and his defense minister, Andrei Belousov, 65.
The suspicion in Moscow, based on “intelligence” Russia had obtained, was that Ukraine was seeking to assassinate both men.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov at the annual Navy Day parade on July 28, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Russia
An alleged assassination plot against Vladimir Putin by Ukraine was stopped after Russia’s defense minister called his counterpart at the Pentagon, Moscow said. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov at the annual Navy Day parade on July 28, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Russia
Putin and Belousov attend the Navy Day parade on July 28. Moscow says information obtained indicates that Ukraine was seeking to kill both men
Sixteen days before the parade, Belousov called US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for a “really tough conversation,” TV propagandist Olga Skabeeva said.
‘Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov personally called the Pentagon for the first time and said something that made U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin squirm.
“If the kyiv operation had been carried out, it would have guaranteed that Russia and the US would enter a phase of uncontrollable conflict.”
Russia evidently believed the United States was aware of the attack plan and feared it was involved in it, something Pentagon officials have denied.
But according to Ryabkov, calls were made to Ukraine, which stopped a covert operation at the Navy Day parade, which Putin and Belousov later attended without incident.
This image shows members of the Russian Navy during the Navy Day parade on July 28.
Sixteen days before the parade, Belousov says he called US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for a “really difficult conversation”
Russia evidently believed the United States was aware of the attack plot and feared it was involved in it, something Pentagon officials have denied.
Such an attack would have plunged Russia and the United States into an “uncontrollable conflict” that could lead to a nuclear Third World War, according to Russian state television Rossiya 1.
Putin and Belousov pose on a ship at the annual Navy Day parade on July 28, 2024
“The signal sent by the Russian side… not only to Washington, but to other capitals under Washington’s control, was received,” Ryabkov said.
‘We have avoided a new cycle of escalation.
“But that particular episode is very worrying…
‘It was planned (by Ukraine)… to cause maximum damage and achieve maximum media effect that they needed.
‘Thank God we have overcome that particular episode, which means that the signal from our military leadership and the Minister of Defense to his American counterpart has apparently had an effect.
Ryabkov did not specify exactly what the Russian intelligence information contained or the nature of the alleged attempted attack.
“I don’t want to go into details, but there was indeed a certain connection with those events,” he said, referring to Navy Day.
“The details of this bold move are currently a state secret,” said Skabeeva, also known as Putin’s “Iron Doll.”
‘At the parade in St. Petersburg, after the failed provocation, Vladimir Putin made a statement that the whole world is discussing.’
He was referring to Putin’s threat to implement “mirror measures” if the US goes ahead with plans to deploy long-range missiles in Germany from 2026 – weapons that could reach the West in ten minutes.
At the time of the July 12 call, Moscow said Belousov and Austin had discussed “the issue of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of a possible escalation.”
Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia
The statement at the time did not describe an alleged Ukrainian covert mission.
One theory on Russian Telegram channel Win/Win is that the attack could have involved the launching of kamikaze sea drones from a neutral ship in the Baltic.
Russian military expert Dmitry Kornev said: ‘Another possibility is a combined attack from the sea and air, which would be the most dangerous.
‘Nothing happened publicly.
Observers noted no changes to the parade’s program or rules.
‘The parade went as planned.
‘If additional security measures were taken, they went unnoticed.
‘We could thank Austin and Belousov for this, or maybe someone is playing this card now, which seems unlikely.
‘Most likely something was actually planned and it did not happen.
“An assassination attempt, even if unsuccessful, would have provoked a very harsh response, burning all bridges towards possible negotiations and normalizing the conflict, putting an end to any aspirations for peace in this situation.”
Respected Russian editor Alexei Venediktov said Russians were concerned that a Ukrainian plot involved an assassination attempt on Putin and his defence minister.
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