Russian Defense Adviser Accidentally Throws Putin Under the Bus in Live Interview

Russia has denied using Iranian-made drones to target civilians in Ukraine and gone so far as repainting some of the weapons to make them appear Russian-made—but a defense adviser just let the cat out of the bag in a disastrous live TV interview. Ruslan Pukhov, a defense analyst and member of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Public Council, sat down with RBC for a segment on the weapons being used in Ukraine and apparently had no idea he was on an open mic. He told the TV hosts not to “rock the boat too much” with questions about the Iranian drones since “we all know they are Iranian but the authorities will not admit it.” The hosts appeared flummoxed and a sudden glint of alarm could be seen in Pukhov’s eyes as he seemed to realize his mistake. In subsequent comments to Russian media, Pukhov claimed to have no memory of making the comments and suggested it may have been a set-up. “Unfortunately, I don’t remember … After COVID my brain is bad.” It was not clear when the interview was broadcast, but Meduza noted that RBC for some reason did not post its Wednesday version of the program online.