(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Russian media is abuzz with claims that Ukraine targeted Vladimir Putin with a drone attack Tuesday night on the Kremlin—allegations that Ukraine is strongly denying.
Russia’s government reportedly called the attack an act of terrorism, and said it reserves the right to retaliate “anywhere and anytime it deems necessary.”
“We consider this a preplanned terrorist action and an attempt against the Russian president,” the Kremlin said, according to Russia Today. The incident happened “ahead of Victory Day and the parade on May 9, when foreign guests plan to be present.”
May 9 is the date Nazi Germany was officially defeated in 1945.
But Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time of the attack, and the two drones were shot down, according to reports.
Serhiy Nykyforov, the spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told CNN that his country was not responsible for the attack.
“We do not have information on so called night attacks on Kremlin,” he said. “As President Zelenskyy has stated numerous times before, Ukraine uses all means at its disposal to free its own territory, not to attack others.”
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also denied Kyiv had any involvement, according to CNN.
“First of all, it absolutely does not solve any military goals. And it is very unhelpful in the context of preparing for our offensive actions. And it definitely does not change anything at a battlefield,” he reportedly said. “This would allow Russia to justify mass strikes on Ukrainian cities, civilians and infrastructure facilities. Why would we need that? What’s the logic?”
However, Ukraine has likely attacked Russian territory with drones before, according to the recently leaked Pentagon documents.
The leaked documents reportedly show that on Feb. 28, Zelenskyy “suggested striking Russian deployment locations in Russia’s Rostov Oblast” with unspecified drones. That same day, two drones filled with explosives detonated inside Russian territory, igniting a fire at an oil depot.
The leaked classified Pentagon documents also reportedly show that Zelenskyy wanted to use U.S. long-range missiles to attack Russia.
According to media reports on the documents, Zelenskyy “suggested striking Russian deployment locations in Russia’s Rostov Oblast” using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to compensate for not having long-range missiles.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
