On the night of June 18 and the morning of June 18, the Russian capital Moscow was subjected to the most massive drone attack in the last two years. Residential buildings, shopping centers, and oil refineries were damaged. More than 260 flights at Moscow airports were delayed or canceled. Moscow officials claim that nearly 200 UAVs approaching the capital were shot down.
Medianews.az reports that this incident occurred at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin left Moscow and Saint Petersburg for the first time in seven months.
On June 17, Vladimir Putin went on a two-day trip to Kazan. The Russia–ASEAN summit is being held in Kazan. Putin's trip to this summit is also his first official visit to the regions in seven months.
Putin's previous regional trip was to the city of Samara in November 2025.
In general, over the last six months, the Russian president has sharply reduced his domestic trips. In the period from January to May 2026, he left Moscow only twice, both times traveling to Saint Petersburg. For comparison, Putin made 8 regional trips in the same period in 2025, 14 in 2024, and 17 in 2019.
It is assumed that the main reason for Putin avoiding domestic trips is security concerns.
During his trip to Kazan, Putin met with people on the street. According to journalists, the Russian leader often resorts to such moves during difficult times. This time, his appearance among the public coincided with a decline in his rating and problems on the Ukrainian front.
There were numerous bodyguards and camouflaged armed personnel around the president.
In May, several publications, citing an intelligence report from a European country, wrote that security measures for Putin were significantly strengthened due to fears of a possible assassination attempt. According to those reports, the Russian president spends days in modernized bunkers.