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A SUSPECTED assassination plot against Vladimir Putin was dramatically halted by the US after Ukraine planned to hit Vlad with a kamikaze drone, Moscow claim.
Russian intelligence allegedly discovered a covert Kyiv operation looking to eliminate the tyrant at the Navy Day parade in St Petersburg on July 28.
Putin’s panicked deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov described the alleged plot as “madness” as he told Russian state TV Rossiya 1 such an attack would plunge the world into chaos.
Russia and the US would instantly face an “uncontrollable conflict” with a nuclear World War Three all but certain to happen, Ryabkov said.
The Navy Day parade was attended by the 71-year-old dictator, and his defence minister Andrei Belousov, 65 last month.
Moscow claim to have uncovered secret intel that shows the two men were being directly targeted by Ukrainian assassins.
No evidence has been shared yet about the circumstances around the Russian intelligence.
Respected Russian editor Alexei Venediktov also said the Russians were concerned over noise of a Ukrainian plot.
Just over two weeks before the event, Belousov took the intelligence straight to the US, alleges known TV propagandist Olga Skabeev.
They say the defence minister called US defence secretary Lloyd Austin to have a “genuinely tough conversation” about the assassination belief.
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The TV presenter added: “Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov called the Pentagon himself for the first time, and he said something that made US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin squirm.
“If Kyiv's operation had happened, it would have guaranteed to plunge Russia and the USA into a phase of uncontrollable conflict.”
Russian media say the Kremlin felt the US had prior knowledge of the alleged ploy and feared they may be directly involved.
Pentagon officials denied having any involvement or knowledge of any plot against Putin.
Despite this, deputy foreign minister Ryabkov is adamant the US communicated with Ukraine to stop any attacks planned.
The Navy Day parade took place without incident.
Ryabkov told Russian media: “We avoided a new escalation cycle. But that specific episode is very troubling.
“It was planned [by Ukraine]….to cause maximum damage and achieve the maximum media effect they needed.
“We got past that specific episode, thank God, which means that the signal from our military leadership and the defence minister to his American counterpart apparently had an effect."
If Kyiv's operation had happened, it would have guaranteed to plunge Russia and the USA into a phase of uncontrollable conflict
Olga Skabeev
Ryabkov refused to specify exactly what the Russian intelligence had discovered about the alleged plan.
One chilling theory from Russian Telegram channel Win/Win is that an attack may have involved launching kamikaze sea drones from a neutral ship in the Baltic.
So far no comment has been made regarding the potential methods of any such plan.
Russian military expert Dmitry Kornev also suggested a possible method of attack saying: “Another possibility is a combined attack from both sea and air, which would be the most dangerous.
“Most likely, something was indeed planned and did not happen.
“An assassination attempt, even if unsuccessful, would have provoked a very sharp response.
"Burning all bridges to potential negotiations and normalising the conflict, putting an end to any aspirations for peace in this situation."
It comes as paranoid Putin is now regularly wearing bulletproof vests for public appearances, reports have claimed.
The Kremlin evidently fears the ageing despot could face an assassination bid linked to his war in Ukraine or from Islamic terrorists.
The report claimed that the 71-year-old tyrant has been wearing body armour at outdoor events “since at least 2023”.
According to one of his former guards, Putin lives in constant fear of being assassinated and doesn't trust his own staff.
Vitaly Brizhatiy is reported to be a member of Putin's security staff at a previously undisclosed residence used by Vlad in Crimea.
Ahead of his rigged re-election earlier this year, footage of Putin's address gave away telltale signs of his assassination fears amid his body double rumours.
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As Putin attended a meeting with supporters in Moscow, a bodyguard carrying an armoured shield stood ready to rush onto the stage and protect him.
The man - dressed in all black - is seen holding a briefcase which unfolds into the bulletproof shield.