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The Russian president’s office said Wednesday that the Kremlin was attacked overnight by drones in an attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin.
Residents of Moscow reported hearing two explosions behind the Kremlin wall shortly after 2 a.m. local time, then the lights went out. Footage shared by residents on a local Telegram channel showed smoke filling the sky above the Kremlin. The video also shows part of the Kremlin on fire.
Authorities now say it was a brazen attack by Ukraine using two drones, both of which were destroyed.
Police said no injuries were reported Tas news agency. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was not at the presidential palace at the time.
The Kremlin has described the incident as a “planned terrorist attack” and “an assassination attempt on the Russian president” and is now threatening “retaliatory measures”.
A spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied the country was behind the attack on the Kremlin, saying Russia would routinely show off its military might to mark Victory Day “toward May 9.” He accused Moscow of deliberately escalating the situation.
“Apart from that, the phrasing by terrorist states is astounding. Terrorist attacks are homes destroyed in Dnipro and Uman, or rocket attacks on the railway station in Kramatorsk, and many other tragedies.” , Zelensky spokesman Serhi Nikiforov said.
The alleged assassination attempt has taken months to call on the military to unleash a more brutal attack on Ukraine, with Russian pro-war hawks claiming military commanders have been prevented from doing so. It happened after I spent
On Wednesday, a number of Russian lawmakers picked up news of the incident in the Kremlin and stepped up their demands again.
“The terrorists have settled in Kiev and, as you know, negotiations with them are meaningless. They can only be destroyed quickly and mercilessly. has come,” said United Russia parliamentarian Mikhail Sheremet in comments to Russian state media. “I am ready to give you the coordinates: 11 Bankova street, where the so-called administration of the President of Ukraine is located.”
Kremlin propaganda has also plunged into hysteria, with RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan suggesting in Telegram that the alleged attack was just the pretext Russia needed to scorch Ukraine.
It is unclear how the Ukrainian drone managed to penetrate Russian air defenses and reach the center of the capital. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Wednesday banned drones from flying in the city without a special government permit.
The incident occurred days before Russia’s main Victory Day parade on Red Square. Independent Russian media reported last week that utility workers had been ordered to patrol the streets of Moscow looking for bombs and drones ahead of the event.
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