(Daily Mail) Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting to assassinate Vladimir Putin in a double drone strike on the Kremlin overnight, prompting demands from lawmakers in Moscow for the Kyiv regime to be ‘destroyed’.
Moscow said it had foiled the attempt and furiously decried the attack as ‘a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation.’
It said two drones were used in the alleged attack, with extraordinary nighttime footage showing fireballs erupting from the roofs of Russia’s most sacred fortress.
The accusation was soon followed by a chilling warning from a senior Russian official, who called on Moscow to escalate the Putin’s war and use ‘weapons capable of stopping and destroying the Kyiv terrorist regime’.
But Ukraine quickly responded to the accusation – the most dramatic Russia has levelled against Kyiv since invading its neighbour more than 14 months ago – saying it had ‘nothing to do’ with the alleged attack, casting doubt over Russia’s claim.
Pictured: A fireball is seen rising over the Kremlin after an alleged drone strike by Ukraine
Pictured: An explosion is seen (left) over the Kremlin. It was captured by a camera overlooking Moscow’s Red Square and St Basil’s Cathedral (right)
Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting to assassinate Vladimir Putin in a double drone strike on the Kremlin overnight. Moscow furiously decried the attack as ‘a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation’. Pictured: Video purportedly shows smoke rising over the Kremlin overnight
Pictured: A plume of smoke rises over the illuminated spires of the Kremlin overnight
The allegation of the failed assassination attempt was made by Kremlin officials today and reported by Russian news agencies hours after the strike last night.
The Kremlin said two drones had been used in the alleged attempt, but that they were disabled by Russian defences.
The first was at 2:27am hitting the Senate Palace, the second at 2:43am, said TV Centre channel.
The Kremlin did not present any evidence to back up its account.
Extraordinary video video posted by Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, showed a flying object approaching the dome of a Kremlin building overlooking Red Square and exploding in a burst of light just before reaching it.
Seats could be seen set up for the Victory Day parade.
Another video posted on a neighbourhood internet group appeared to show a plume of smoke over the Kremlin spires filmed from across the Moskva River.
The second strike was also captured on video, which showed another fireball erupt from the roof of the Kremlin.
In one the clips, two people were seen climbing up the dome at the time of the strike. It was unclear who they were or why they were on the dome.
‘Two unmanned vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin… the devices were put out of action,’ Moscow’s statement read. In a chilling threat, Russia made clear it reserved the right to respond to the alleged drone strike.
Putin was not injured, and there was no material damage to the Kremlin buildings, the Kremlin said, adding that Putin continues to work normally.
‘The Kremlin has assessed these actions as a planned terrorist act and an assassination attempt on the president on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade,’ RIA reported. It noted Putin had not changed his schedule.
‘The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit,’ the Kremlin’s statement added, suggesting it planned to retaliate.
The Kremlin said fragments of the drones had been scattered on the territory, as Moscow’s mayor announced a ban on unauthorised drone flights over the city.
Telegram channels are sharing what appear to be videos of anti-aircraft fire over the Kremlin, while there were reports of a noise like a ‘thunderclap’ in Moscow.
Other clips have shown a flash of what is said to be the drone as it flies in over Moscow and explodes over one of the vast Kremlin buildings.
Residents of Stalinist House on the Embankment ‘saw sparks in the sky and people with flashlights near the Kremlin wall after the claps’.
RIA state news agency reported: ‘As a result of the terrorist act, the president was not injured. The schedule of his work has not changed and will continue as usual.’
‘There were no casualties during the fall and scattering of UAV fragments on the territory of the Kremlin.’
Russia has massively increased air defences in Moscow and around Putin’s palaces and residences. RIA said Putin had not been in the Kremlin at the time, and was working on Wednesday at his Novo Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow.
He told in March that he is living in his apartment more often. State media 360TV reported Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time.
In March Putin said: ‘I have an apartment here [in the Kremlin], where I spend a lot of time lately. I work here and spend a lot of nights often.’
He met Chinese president Xi in the flat ‘sitting by the fireplace and drinking tea, [and] talked about everything slowly’.
Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin was working as normal today at his official residence outside the city.
Pictured: What appears to be a drone is seen flying over the Kremlin overnight
Pictured: An explosion erupts over the Kremlin in a purported drone strike in Moscow
