Russian President Vladimir Putin survived an assassination attempt after his car was allegedly attacked while travelling to his official residence in a decoy motorcade, according to media reports.The Mirror, a UK daily, reported that Putin was in his limousine when a "loud bang" was heard from the left front wheel of the car followed by heavy smoke. Putin managed to escape unhurt following which he was quickly taken to safety by his personal security guards.It is unconfirmed when the incident took place, but reports suggest that the attack happened this week amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
The information on his assassination was released on the General GVR Telegram channel on Wednesday. It said that multiple arrests have been made from Putin's security services, as some of his bodyguards reportedly vanished amid speculations that secret information about the 69-year-old leader’s movements was leaked. According to reports, Putin was travelling in the third armoured car among the five that were used as decoys. This is not the first time that someone had tried to take Putin's life. In 2017, the Russian leader publicly disclosed that he has survived at least five assassination attempts. An unverified video circulating on Russian social media including the channel of the military news outlet Zvezda showed pale smoke rising behind the main Kremlin Palace in the walled citadel after the purported incident. Another showed one of the drones, right above the dome of the presidential palace, being shot down by Russia. Moscow's mayor has announced a ban on unauthorised drone flights over the Russian capital, just as the news of drones targeting Putin surfaced.