UKRAINE/RUSSIA: Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has refuted Russia’s claim that Kiev was involved in a drone strike on the Kremlin that was intended to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We don’t attack Putin or Moscow; we fight on our territory and defend our towns and cities,” said the Ukrainian president on Wednesday, adding that “we leave it to the tribunal.”
The office of the Russian president stated that its defences shot down two drones overnight. It threatened to take action in retaliation when and where it deemed it necessary.
Unverified video that has been circulating online early on Wednesday morning shows smoke rising over the Kremlin, a sizable government complex in the heart of Moscow. A second video depicts a tiny explosion above the Senate building at the scene as two individuals climb atop the dome.
The Russian presidency said that Ukraine had attempted to attack Putin’s apartment in the Kremlin, describing it as “a planned terrorist act and an assassination attempt on the president.”
Officials stated that President Putin was not present during the alleged attack and that electronic radar assets had destroyed two drones that were allegedly aiming at the compound.
However, Ukraine claims that Russia’s accusations are just a cover for massive attacks on its territory, and the US claims that it is treating Russia’s claims very cautiously.
Putin seems to be one of the world’s leaders who is most closely guarded. At Putin events in Moscow,there has been incredibly strict security in place, including lengthy inspections, blocked skies, and delayed transportation.
But if what the Kremlin is claiming is accurate, it will raise concerns about how well protected the president actually is.
The efficiency of Russian air defences will also come under close examination. Anti-aircraft systems have recently been seen on Moscow rooftops near important structures.
They were put there because the Kremlin is worried that Ukraine or others who support Ukraine would try to launch aerial assaults on important locations.
Whatever occurred on Wednesday morning, the focus now is on Russia’s response. Some officials have already demanded drastic action. The generals of Russia have frequently threatened severe retaliation in the event of any attacks on Russian territory.
It is uncertain, however, if Russia has the capability to launch major retaliatory attacks or whether this episode would result in any appreciable escalation of the fighting inside Ukraine.
An adviser to the Ukrainian president informed the media that the incident might be a sign that Russia is “preparing a large-scale terrorist provocation” in Ukraine.
Mykhailo Podolyak stated that attacking Moscow would be counterproductive for Ukraine but would help Russia defend its own assaults on civilian targets.
Russian airstrikes on Ukraine’s Kherson region on Wednesday claimed the lives of 21 people. Zelensky said that “a railway station and a crossing, a house, a hardware store, a grocery supermarket, and a gas station” were all struck by the shelling. The casualties included shoppers at supermarkets and repair workers at an energy firm, officials stated.
Drones flying over areas in Russia, Podolyak continued, were the result of “guerrilla activities of local resistance forces.”
“Something is happening in the RF [Russian Federation], but definitely without Ukraine’s drones over the Kremlin,” said Podolyak.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that while he was unable to corroborate Russia’s claim that Ukraine attempted to assassinate Putin, he would treat any statements made by the Russian government with “a very large shaker of salt.”
Former US deputy assistant secretary of defence and CIA official Mick Mulroy said that if the incident occurred as reported, it was “unlikely” to have been an attempt at assassination because Ukraine carefully monitors President Putin’s travels and he wasn’t in Moscow at the time.
Alternatively, if the reports were false, “Russia may be fabricating this to use as a pretext to target President Zelenskiy, something they have tried to do in the past,” said Mulroy.
Russia also pointed out that the purported drone incident occurred just before the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, which was going to be attended by foreign dignitaries.
Russian officials announced that the parade would proceed as scheduled. On Wednesday, the mayor of Moscow declared a ban on unlicensed drones flying over the city.
Numerous Russian cities had already declared that they would scale back Victory Day celebrations this year.
Russian officials have justified the changes by citing security concerns and pro-Ukrainian force assaults. In recent weeks, there have been explosions and fires in Russia.
Also Read: Russian Troops Killed in Action in Ukraine Since December: US
