Mumbai, January 30: “I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute”, this is how Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to assassinate former UK PM Boris Johnson before the invasion of Ukraine. Johnson, in a BBC documentary, made a startling statement regarding the Russian leader. The incident, according to the British leader, took place in February last year. Vladimir Putin Health Update: Russian President's Condition Deteriorating Quickly, To Step Down Soon, Says Report.

The brand-new BBC documentary which is slated to broadcast today claimed that Putin threatened to personally target Boris Johnson with a missile attack. According to the reports, a sudden phone call just before the Ukraine invasion included the threat. Johnson, one of Volodymyr Zelensky's staunchest Western supporters, claimed that he took great care to inform Putin before the invasion that there was no immediate likelihood of Ukraine joining NATO and that any assault would result in "more NATO, not less NATO" on Russian borders. Vladimir Putin To Be Assassinated? Russian President ‘Will Be Killed Before His Birthday’, Claims Exiled Leader Ilya Ponomarev.

The ex-UK PM said that he warned Kremlin that there would be severe penalties in case of a Ukraine invasion. The call, according to the reports, came right after Johnson visited Ukraine's capital, Kyiv in February 2022. The BBC documentary tracks the widening gap between the West and the Russian President in the years leading up to the Russia-Ukraine War.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2023 01:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).