RIGA, Latvia — Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of staging a drone attack intended to kill President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, an incendiary allegation that was forcefully denied by Ukrainian officials, some of whom warned it could be a pretense for Russia to escalate its war.
Russia said it thwarted the attack and that Putin was not in the building at the time.
The allegation of an assassination attempt — which could not be independently confirmed and was broadly rejected by military experts — was made in a statement shared by the Kremlin press service with Russian state news agencies on Wednesday afternoon.
In the overnight hours early Wednesday, “the Kyiv regime attempted a drone strike on the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation,” the statement said. “Two drones were aimed at the Kremlin.”
“We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the president of the Russian Federation, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 parade,” the Kremlin said, referring to the annual commemoration of the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II.
“Russia reserves the right to respond to an attempted strike on the Kremlin where and when it sees fit,” the statement said.
Videos circulating on social media and verified by The Washington Post show two drones streaking toward the Kremlin at around 2:30 a.m. local time. The first drone appears to hit the dome of the Kremlin Senate, a building within the fortress that houses Putin’s office, causing an eruption of flames; the second drone appears to explode over the Senate dome. Two people are visible on the roof during the second explosion.
Ukraine swiftly and categorically denied any involvement in the alleged attack.
“We are not attacking either Putin or Moscow, we are fighting on our own territory, we are defending our villages and cities. We do not have enough weapons even for that,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday at the summit of Northern European countries in Finland.
Russia said it thwarted the attack and that Putin was not in the building at the time.
The allegation of an assassination attempt — which could not be independently confirmed and was broadly rejected by military experts — was made in a statement shared by the Kremlin press service with Russian state news agencies on Wednesday afternoon.
In the overnight hours early Wednesday, “the Kyiv regime attempted a drone strike on the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation,” the statement said. “Two drones were aimed at the Kremlin.”
“We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the president of the Russian Federation, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 parade,” the Kremlin said, referring to the annual commemoration of the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II.
“Russia reserves the right to respond to an attempted strike on the Kremlin where and when it sees fit,” the statement said.
Videos circulating on social media and verified by The Washington Post show two drones streaking toward the Kremlin at around 2:30 a.m. local time. The first drone appears to hit the dome of the Kremlin Senate, a building within the fortress that houses Putin’s office, causing an eruption of flames; the second drone appears to explode over the Senate dome. Two people are visible on the roof during the second explosion.
Ukraine swiftly and categorically denied any involvement in the alleged attack.
“We are not attacking either Putin or Moscow, we are fighting on our own territory, we are defending our villages and cities. We do not have enough weapons even for that,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday at the summit of Northern European countries in Finland.
UPDATED ANALYSIS;
Note two figures climbing stairs on left side of dome just before 'done" strikes.
Also note reflection in top right corner - something most of the media has missed - of what looks like someone holding a phone or quite possibly a drone controller. Could this be the best evidence of a false flag attack?
Also curious is the taking of the video itself. Who is the source of the video? It doesn't look like security camera or media cam video or cell phone video playback. It appears to be cell phone video out a window across from the Kremlin. How happenstance that someone was shooting video of the Kremlin dome just before a done strike?
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