Ukrainian plot to assassinate Putin during Russian Navy Day parade ‘that would have caused WW3’ blocked after Kremlin calls Pentagon asking them to intervene
According to Moscow, a suspected assassination plot by Ukraine against Vladimir Putin has been foiled after the Russian Defense Minister called his counterpart at the Pentagon.
Russian intelligence reportedly uncovered a secret operation in Kiev to attack the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg on July 28.
Such an attack would have plunged Russia and the US into an “uncontrollable conflict” that would have signalled a nuclear World War III, Russian state television Rossiya 1 reported, interviewing Putin’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, who described the alleged plot as “madness”.
The parade marking Navy Day was attended by dictator Putin, 71, and his Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, 65.
Based on the “intelligence” Russia had obtained, Moscow suspected that Ukraine planned to kill both men.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov during the annual Navy Day parade on July 28, 2024 in Saint Petersburg, Russia
A suspected assassination plot against Vladimir Putin by Ukraine was stopped after Russia’s defense minister called his counterpart in the Pentagon, Moscow said. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov during 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 claims that intelligence obtained indicated that Ukraine planned to kill both men.
Sixteen days before the parade, Belousov called US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for a “really tough conversation,” according to TV propagandist Olga Skabeeva.
‘Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov called the Pentagon himself for the first time and said something that made U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin uncomfortable.
“If the operation had taken place in Kiev, it would have certainly plunged Russia and the US into a phase of uncontrollable conflict.”
Russia apparently believed the US knew about the attack and feared US involvement, but Pentagon officials deny this.
However, according to Ryabkov, phone calls were made to Ukraine, which prevented a secret operation during the Navy Day parade. Putin and Belousov later attended the parade without incident.
The image shows members of the Russian Navy during the parade in honor of Navy Day on July 28.
Sixteen days before the parade, Belousov says he called US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for a “really difficult conversation”
Russia apparently believed the US knew about the attack plan and feared it was involved – something Pentagon officials have denied
Such an attack would have plunged Russia and the US into an “uncontrollable conflict” that would have signaled a nuclear World War III, Russian state television Rossiya 1 reported
Putin and Belousov pose on a boat during the annual Navy Day parade on July 28, 2024
“The signal sent by the Russian side… not only to Washington, but also 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 disturbing…
It was planned [by Ukraine]…to cause maximum damage and achieve the maximum media impact they needed.
‘Fortunately, we have overcome that particular episode, and that 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 what exactly Russian intelligence said, nor what the nature of the suspected attack plan was.
“I don’t want to go into details, but there was certainly some connection to such events,” he said, referring to Navy Day.
“The details of this bold action are currently a state secret,” said Skabeeva, also known as Putin’s “Iron Doll.”
‘During the parade in St. Petersburg, after the thwarted provocation, Vladimir Putin made a statement that the whole world is discussing.’
She 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 can hit the West within ten minutes.
During the July 12 conversation, Moscow said Belousov and Austin discussed “the issue of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of possible escalation.”
Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia
The statement at the time did not address a suspected secret Ukrainian mission.
According to a theory from the Russian Telegram channel Win/Win, the attack could be carried out by launching kamikaze drones from a neutral ship in the Baltic Sea.
Russian military expert Dmitry Kornev said: ‘Another possibility is a combined attack from both sea and air, which would be the most dangerous.
‘Nothing public happened.
‘Observers did not notice any changes to the parade program or rules.
The parade went completely according to plan.
‘If additional security measures were taken, they went unnoticed.
‘We can thank Austin and Belousov for this, or maybe someone is just playing this card now, which seems unlikely.
‘Probably something was indeed planned, but it didn’t happen.
‘An assassination attempt, even if it had failed, would have provoked a very strong reaction, burning all bridges to potential negotiations and normalizing the conflict, ending any peace aspirations in this situation.’
Respected Russian editor Alexei Venediktov said Russians were concerned that there was a Ukrainian plot to assassinate Putin and his defense minister.
