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Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of attacking the Kremlin overnight with a drone in a failed attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin.
A senior Ukrainian presidential official said Kyiv had nothing to do with the incident, the most dramatic accusation Russia has made against Ukraine since it invaded its neighbor more than 14 months ago.
The Kremlin said two drones had been used in an alleged attack on Putin’s residence in the walled Kremlin citadel, but had been disabled by electronic defenses.
It said Russia had the right to retaliate – comments that suggested Moscow could use the alleged incident to justify further escalation in its war with Ukraine.
“Two unmanned aerial vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin. As a result of the timely actions taken by the military and special services using radar warfare systems, the device was disabled,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“We consider this act to be a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the president, which took place on the night of Victory Day, May 9 Parade, where foreign guests were also planned…
“The Russian side has the right to take retaliatory measures where and when appropriate.”
Ukraine issued a denial
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in comments sent to Reuters that allegations that Kyiv was behind the attack, as well as Russia’s arrest of suspected Ukrainian saboteurs, could indicate Moscow is preparing a large-scale “terrorist” attack on Ukraine in the coming days.
“Of course, Ukraine has nothing to do with the drone attack on the Kremlin. We did not attack the Kremlin because, first of all, it did not fulfill its military duties,” said Podolyak.
Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russian law enforcement agencies, posted a video showing the object flying towards the dome of the Kremlin’s Senate building overlooking Red Square – the site of the Victory Day parade – and exploding in a powerful burst of light before reaching it. that. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video.
A statement from the presidential administration said that fragments of the drone had been scattered in the territory of the Kremlin complex, but there were no casualties or material damage.
Putin outside Moscow: report
The RIA news agency said Putin had not been to the Kremlin, and was working on Wednesday at his Novo Ogaryovo home outside Moscow.
Another video circulating on Russian social media appeared to show plumes of smoke in the Kremlin after the attack.
The video was posted early Wednesday on an internet group for residents of the Kremlin-facing neighborhood across the Moskva River. It was picked up by Russian media, including the Telegram channel of military news outlet Zvezda.
Victory Day is a public holiday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, and an opportunity for Putin to rally Russia behind what he calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Russia marked the occasion with a huge military parade in Red Square, where seats had been set up.
State news agency TASS said the parade – for which the Kremlin last week announced tighter security – would still go ahead.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Wednesday that the city would immediately ban illegal drone flights.
Russia has accused Ukraine of numerous cross-border attacks since the start of the war, including an attack in December on an air base deep inside Russian territory that houses strategic bombs equipped to carry nuclear weapons. In February, a drone crashed in Kolomna, about 110 kilometers from the center of Moscow.
Ukraine has typically refused to claim responsibility for attacks on Russia or Russian-annexed Crimea, though Kyiv officials have often celebrated such attacks with cryptic comments or mockery.
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