On Saturday, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence claimed that there had been several attempts at assassinating Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“There have been [attempts to assassinate Putin], but as you can see, they have been unsuccessful so far,” said Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, known as the GUR.
Budanov didn’t offer any details about the alleged assassination attempts. He has previously made similar claims, and other officials in the GUR have threatened that Kyiv was preparing to target the Russian leader.
Last year, Ukrainian drones targeted the Kremlin, and Russia treated the attack as an attempt on Putin’s life. In response to Budanov’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the “security of the president is established at the proper level.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said assassination attempts on Putin are funded with “US money.” She said the US would be better off spending the money on domestic security, pointing to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
After the 2014 coup that ousted former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, the US began helping build up and fund Ukrainian intelligence services that have been responsible for attacks inside Russia. The Washington Post reported last year that since 2015, the CIA had spent tens of millions on the GUR and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to turn them into “potent allies against Moscow.”
One former US intelligence official described the GUR as “our little baby.” The report said the SBU and the GUR have been involved in dozens of assassinations against Russian officials in Russian-controlled Ukraine, alleged Ukrainian collaborators, and Russian officials and civilians deep inside Russia, all while maintaining US support.
Zelensky is now fair game for elimination!
Why the heck are we awake CT?!….;-}
He might be, but they will still run around with their hair on fire screaming: "Unprovoked and Unjustified!"
Sure – but why bother ? He's been a useful idiot thus far, and unless the Russian Federation knows for sure that President 4 Life Zelenskiyy's successor would be a) open to serious peace talks and b) closed to NATO, it's best to just let The Emperor In Green fumble Ukraine towards an increasingly Russia-friendly outcome to the war.
When has he ever not been “fair game” for assassination?
The commander in chief of a regime’s armed forces is by definition “fair game” in a war.
Zelensky has been such a clown that he has been useful to Russia as a failed leader.
And soon as Putin's body was cold Russia would then pull all of its troops out of Ukraine, willingly split up into several smaller states and would become subservient to the West's (US) every demand. Am I right? Do I need the sarcasm thingy?
No, you don't. If I can tell you're sarcastic, then you're safe. I can tell 100% you were seriously serious. But you forgot to mention how Russia is so stupid.
Oh, imagine ! Then the Coalition of Former Russian Oblasts up & demands NATO membership ! Forcing Brussels to say, "Well, no – NATO still needs you all as enemies, you see. Otherwise, why are we here ?"
"One former US intelligence official described the GUR as 'our little baby.'" I can imagine that moment. Standing there at AWE, admiring my ugly baby. If I were him and although I'm against abortions in addition to the fact that I'm a man, I would instantly regret that I didn't have one.
"Sir, that's the afterbirth. Your GUR baby is over here."
Uncle, you are disgusting. This is exactly why I love you. LOL
Thanks lad ! When our second child was born, our doc showed us the placenta (held it up like a gat-damn'd jellyfish) and was commenting on the apparent health of its appearance. I was all, "Neat, ick, don't care, please incinerate that thing."
One of the reasons I avoided Biology in high school. Too much groddy organic stuff.
An attempt of assassination is what was pulled on Trump.
Ukrainian attempt is watching paint dry.
I watched an interesting take on the Trump assassination attempt, in which the presenter suggested that the shooter's most likely target was … himself. That an AR kitted out as it was, at the distance it was, should have been an easy headshot for even a casual gun owner.
Suggesting the shooter's likely motive was "death/suicide by Secret Service".
Any competent shooter should be able to hit a stationary human-size target center mass all day long at that range, with that rifle, from a prone position. I generally went 10 for 10, occasionally 9 for 10, at 500 meters.
A head shot — especially at a moving head — isn’t quite so easy at that range.
#1 – it is a HUGE head he was aiming at.
#2 – I'm gonna need to know if you were in Dallas in November of '63, there, Vasily Zaisev ! That there's some fine shootin', >90% @ 500m…!
No, it’s not especially fine shooting for any Marine recruit. I was a FAIRLY good shot, but not notable or sniper material.
So, he tried to miss and was aiming for his ear?
No, I'm inclined to believe he aimed to miss but by a wider margin. I think his intent was to seem like a genuine assassin and get killed by the Secret Service, whose response to active shooters is no kind of secret.
I suspect it will turn out, in the course of investigating the late shooter, that he suffered depression, other untreated mental illnesses, and years of disillusionment and social disconnect.
My understanding at present is that the shooter was a registered Republican, so I don't see how a personal political motivation could push him to act this way.
I got your point but damn, a wider margin indeed. One shot 100 feet over Trump's head and he is just as dead. That's just way too close, in my opinion, to think he was trying to miss.
Managed to hit several attendees.
If I was trying to make the case that the assassination attempt was faked, I’d make it like this:
1) The supposed shooter was just some poor loser they got intoxicated and told to climb up on the roof;
2) The real shooter plugged a few audience members; and
3) Trump ducked and slapped his ear with a little bag of fake blood cupped in the palm of his hand.
But so far I’ve seen zero evidence to suggest that’s what happened. Things aren’t always what they look like, but the default assumption is that they’re what they look like unless there’s actual evidence to suggest otherwise.
I was thinking similar myself. In the Trump shooting, it is unlikely that young Thomas Matthew Crooks was the actual shooter, but rather the patsey. More likely there was another shooter further away in the background. Seemingly unconnected events come together. Nicky "bombs away" Haley suddenly gets invited to the RNC convention just after Trump gets shot at. Trump changes the speech he is going to give now saying the "Nation needs to come together." Biden is out touting "unity." That is what politicians say when they want to take a country to war. Trump was going to make peace with Russia; end the fighting in the Ukraine. If Trump's position on that has changed, we will know the "job" the bullet was supposed to do, and consequently we get an idea of who was the shooting's orchestrator. I'm afraid the U.S.A. is staging for an all out, all or nothing WWIII.
What tools are you using to determine those likelihoods/unlikelihoods?
it was exactly what it was, some kid trying to kill him but I personally think the powers that be denied resources to the SS there to protect him and maybe even gave incompetent leaders to lead the SS protecting Trump hoping some loony will kill him and rid them off the orange fraud.
There probably were glaring holes in security every single time trump was out in the open
Not give him the bulletproof glass shield when he is an open field holding a rally, not having people in the closest elevated place… yes the American empire is in severe decline but starving the secret service so much so they can't even do this is no oversight
The tool I used was my intuition.
Look back at history, it is most always the case.
However, to back up the credibility of the claim, check out this article on Asia Times
https://asiatimes.com/2024/07/was-there-a-second-shooter-new-acoustic-evidence/
Why do they think making this public is a great idea? To what end?
Perhaps they want Russia to do the favor in kind…!
Trump sure tasted his own blood and the meaning of his own terrorism yesterday on doing the same on the Iranian general…!
They can try but Putin is untouchable.
Putin can hit snd not get hit.
But Zelensky will be eliminated. It’s just a matter of time. Hanged in Maidan.
Really, really stupid thing to do. Putin is a clear headed thinker surrounded by hardliners who wanted him to go shock and awe in 2022. Putin out of the way, hardliners may put siege on Kiev, perhaps having older Bear bombers carpet bomb everything.
Sounds like fun for Ukies to try to off Putin…!!!!!!
Perhaps now would be a good time for Russia to join the fun and try their luck with Zelenskii….!!!!?????
What makes you think they haven’t?
They don't have to. One misstep and we would load him into an armed carrier. The next time he would be seen (or not seen) would be in a casket. Did it to several senior SVC quislings at 'Nam. You probably know about it.