May 30th, 2025: Did Ukraine Try to Assassinate Putin? & New Nuclear Warnings About Iran
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What dramatic claim was made about Putin?
Later in the show, a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza is on the table from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. Israel says yes, but Hamas is demanding changes. Plus, a new intelligence report out of Austria is challenging U.S. assessments on Iran. The findings claim that the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons program is not only alive but advancing rapidly. and in today's Back of the Brief. For the first time since 2012, the U.S. has raised the American flag at the ambassador's residence in Damascus, Syria. It's a symbolic move that marks the latest sign of thawing relations between Washington and Syria's new government. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We begin today with a story that sounds like it's ripped straight from the pages of a Tom Clancy novel.
A senior Russian military official is claiming that Ukrainian forces attempted to assassinate President Putin earlier this month during his visit to the Kursk region. It's a territory that Moscow recently recaptured from Ukrainian control. According to air defense commander Yuri Dashkin, Putin's helicopter was flying through what he described as a massive drone attack launched by Ukraine on the 20th of May. Dashkin told Russian state media that 45 drones were shot down that day alone and that one of them was on a direct path toward Putin's aircraft before being neutralized by Russian air defenses. Over the course of three days, Dashkin says Russian forces intercepted over 1,100 drones, calling the scale of the assault, quote, unprecedented. He emphasized that the intensity of the drone attacks spiked during the exact time frame of the president's flight, framing it as a deliberate and coordinated assassination attempt.
Dashkin said in an interview broadcast by the Rossiya24 TV channel, quote, we were simultaneously engaged in an air battle and ensured the safety of the president's helicopter in the airspace. The helicopter was effectively at the epicenter of the response to the massive drone attack, end quote. Well, how wordy is Dashkin? The story has gained considerable traction in Russian media as well as on social media. However, to date, Russia has provided zero evidence to support this dramatic claim. No drone wreckage, no satellite imagery, no video, no injuries or damage to the helicopter were reported, and Putin's schedule proceeded without interruption. All we have is the testimony of one Russian commander amplified by state-run media. And as they say, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it's probably a Russian disinformation-spreading duck. And from the other side, well, silence. Ukrainian officials haven't confirmed it, haven't denied it, and haven't gloated about it either.
But while we can't say definitively whether this was a genuine attempt or a carefully orchestrated Russian PR or disinformation campaign, we do know one thing. Putin, well, has been targeted before.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What dramatic claim was made about Putin?
1:14–4:16
2
What are the details of the alleged assassination attempt on Putin?
4:16–7:22
3
What is the response from Ukrainian officials regarding the claim?
7:22–11:03
4
What is the latest on the Gaza ceasefire proposal?
11:03–14:12
5
How has Hamas reacted to the U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal?
14:12–19:04
6
What are the implications of Iran's nuclear advancements?
19:04–19:13
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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