The drone was shot down before it could target the residence (Picture: east2west news)

A kamikaze drone supposedly aimed at Vladimir Putin’s official hunting palace was shot down by Russia’s air defences.

Video footage shows the massive explosion that took place over some trees in the Zavidovo district of the Tver region.

This is the area that is home to Putin’s Rus hunting residence and according to an expert is the second time Putin has been targeted.

Throughout history it has been a retreat for Russia’s rulers and is one of many official and secret residences that belongs to the Russian tyrant.

Analyst Viktor Alksnis, who is a Soviet military tactician, also known as the Black Colonel, said: ‘This is the second attempt by Ukrainian drones to hit the state residences of the president of the Russian Federation.

‘The first was undertaken on May 3, 2023 at the Kremlin.’

Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the strike happened in the same area Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash last month.

It comes after Moscow revealed plans to tighten its air defences amid ongoing drone attacks against the capital.

The explosion was captured on video (Picture: Social media/e2w)

Talking about the new air defences, Sobyanin said: ‘Last year, we built the largest and most powerful defence line for our military in the special operation zone.

‘This year, a lot has been done to defend Moscow from drones and terror attacks, which the Ukrainian government has been staging on almost a daily basis.

‘Indeed, over the past few weeks we have been creating new air defence sites.

‘Sometimes, air defence systems go into operation, sending missiles to shoot down drones, when the newly laid asphalt under them is still hot.

‘Everything that the Ministry of Defence asks Moscow to do, we do unquestioningly in the shortest possible time.

The Rus residence has been home to many of Russia’s rulers in the past (Picture: Social media/east2west news)

‘The entire scientific and technological potential of Moscow is also used to help the air defence, the Ministry of Defence, to protect Moscow and Muscovites.’

The number of drone strikes hitting Russian territory during the Russia-Ukraine war has now topped 500 – and it appears multiple regions have been targeted.

In retaliation Russia has flaunted today what it claims to be evidence of the first destroyed British Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine. 

Footage filmed from the inside of a vehicle with a cracked windscreen showed the burning wreck of the battle vehicle – one of the most protected in the world.

It is thought the video was captured just outside the recently-liberated settlement of Robotyne, in the Zaporizhzhia region, where fierce fighting is currently ongoing as part of the counteroffensive in the south.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

The massive explosion was captured on video.