A claim that President Vladimir Putin 's helicopter faced a combat incident during his visit to the Kursk region was concocted by Russia's authorities, it has been reported. Russia's Defense Ministry said that during Putin's trip to the border region where Kyiv previously staged an incursion, his aircraft came under fire from Ukrainian drones.

A claim by the Russian Defence Ministry that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin was "in the epicentre of a drone attack" has turned out to be a staged performance by the Kremlin. Source: The Moscow Times,

Russia claims President Vladimir Putin narrowly escaped a Ukrainian drone strike during his visit to the Kursk region on May 20. According to Air Defence Commander Yuriy Dashkin, Putin’s helicopter was in the "epicentre" of a large-scale drone attack,