Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin, during their meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Wednesday.
Mikhail Klimentyev / Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Updated May 3, 2023 at 10:17 AM ET
Russian authorities accused Ukraine of trying to carry out drone strikes on the Kremlin overnight to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine's government denied any involvement, accusing Moscow of using the incident as a pretext for escalating its war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin's press service said on Wednesday Russian air defenses shot down two drones attempting to strike Putin's residence inside the Kremlin walls.
"We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the president," the Kremlin said.
Putin was not in the building at the time of the alleged attack, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
The Kremlin said no one was harmed and there was no material damage as a result of the falling fragments of destroyed drones.
Footage shared on social media, that could not be independently verified, allegedly showed a drone exploding as it approached the roof of the Kremlin.
The Ukrainian president has not claimed responsibility for an overnight attack in Moscow.
"We have no information about the so-called evening attacks on the Kremlin," Ukrainska Pravda newspaper reported Serhiy Nikiforov, spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as saying Wednesday.
A Ukrainian presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, also denied involvement, and suggested on Twitter that "local resistance forces" have been carrying out "guerilla activities" on Russian territory. He alleged the Kremlin is using this incident as a pretext to justify a large-scale attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
The Russian government warned of retaliation for the alleged plot.
"The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit," the Kremlin said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.