Ukraine requests Western assistance in targeting Putin’s helicopter

(MENAFN) Former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter has suggested that Ukraine likely had Western support if it indeed attempted to target a helicopter carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to RT, Ritter commented on a drone swarm incident on May 20, during Putin’s visit to Russia’s Kursk Region. A Russian air defense commander, Yury Dashkin, reported that the president's helicopter flew through the center of a large Ukrainian drone attack, with 46 fixed-wing UAVs being intercepted during that time.

Ritter emphasized that such a strike—if it aimed at Putin—could not have occurred without Western involvement. In his view, this implies that Western nations may have participated in a direct attempt on the Russian leader’s life, which, under Russia’s nuclear doctrine, could potentially justify a nuclear response.

Responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remark accusing Putin of “playing with fire,” Ritter argued that the real provocation comes from Ukraine and its Western backers. He also referenced Russia’s retaliation against Ukraine’s military infrastructure, which Moscow said was in response to an uptick in drone attacks on Russian civilian areas. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that over 2,300 Ukrainian drones had been shot down in recent days, mostly far from the front lines.

Ritter expressed concerns about divisions within the U.S. administration regarding its Russia policy. He noted that even Trump appears uninformed about the complexity of the situation, making U.S. leadership decisions dangerously reactive.

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