MOSCOW - Ukraine's intelligence services were preparing an assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, according to Russian servers Vedomosti nebo Lenta Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Russian television. He claimed the attack was supposed to have taken place on 28 July, when the two were celebrating Russian Navy Day in St Petersburg. But Belousov reportedly phoned his US counterpart Lloyd Austin beforehand to dissuade Kiev from such a plan. Ukraine has not commented on the Russian claim.

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