Kyiv Denies Moscow’s Claim That Two Ukrainian Drones Attempted To Strike Putin’s Kremlin Residence Overnight
By RFE RL
(RFE/RL) — The Kremlin on May 3 accused Ukraine of attempting to hit the residence of President Vladimir Putin inside the Moscow complex with two drones overnight.
Ukraine denied any involvement in the alleged attack or in sending the drones, which the Kremlin press service said were destroyed “as a result of timely action by the military and special services.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement that Russia considers the action “a planned terrorist act and an attempted attack against the president” and “reserves the right to carry out responsive measures.”
The statement notes that it occurred ahead of Victory Day on May 9 and that a military parade scheduled on the date is expected to be attended by international guests. The alleged drone attack will not affect plans to hold the parade, Peskov said.
Mykhaylo Podolyak, adviser to the Ukraine’s presidential office, denied Ukraine’s involvement in any attacks on Russian territory, including the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin.
“The emergence of unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles at energy facilities or on Kremlin’s territory can only indicate the guerrilla activities of local resistance forces,” Podolyak said on Twitter.
“The loss of power control over the country by Putin’s clan is obvious. But on the other hand, Russia has repeatedly talked about its total control over the air. In a word, something is happening in RF, but definitely without Ukraine’s drones over the Kremlin,” he tweeted shortly after the statement by Kremlin.
According to Podolyak, “Russia is clearly preparing a large-scale terrorist attack. That’s why it first detains a large allegedly subversive group in Crimea. And then it demonstrates “drones over the Kremlin.”
He said Ukraine has been waging “an exclusively defensive war” and does not attack targets on the territory of Russia, adding, “This does not solve any military issue.”
Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said he was banning the use of unauthorized civilian drones in the city. It remains unclear if Sobyanin’s move is connected to the Kremlin-claimed drone attack by Ukraine.
