Bid to murder Vladimir Putin soon after Russia-Ukraine war began; assassins failed, claims top spy

There was a murder attempt against Russian President Vladimir Putin soon after the Ukraine war began - this has reportedly been claimed by a top Ukrainian spy. Information about the unsuccessful assassination attempt was revealed by Major General Kyrylo Budanov to Ukrainska Pravda, a news portal.

Budanov is chief of Ukrainian Defence Intelligence. He said that the attempt to kill Putin occurred in the Caucuses, a region between the Black and Caspian Seas.

The claim comes amid unverified reports that Putin underwent a successful surgery to have fluid removed from his abdomen.

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This is the first claim of an assassination attempt against Putin, although news of many such bids against Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been swirling since the war began.

Budanov had recently claimed that Putin is in "very bad psychological and physical condition". The Ukrainian spy had said, "Putin is very sick. He has various illnesses at the same time, one of which is cancer."

Budanov had also claimed that the Russian president is facing an "unstoppable" rebellion.