Russia accuses US of being behind alleged attack on Kremlin

On Wednesday, Moscow announced that it intercepted two Ukrainian drones that had the Kremlin as a target and reported an assassination attempt on the president Vladimir Putin, accusations denied by Kiev e questionadas by Washington.

“Efforts by Kiev and Washington to deny any responsibility are completely ridiculous. Decisions on these types of attacks are not made in Kiev, but in Washington,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.

“Kiev only does what they are told. Washington must clearly understand that we know this,” she added.

Ukraine denied any involvement in the incident, one of the most shocking incidents attributed to the country since the beginning of the conflict, and even accused Moscow of preparing a “stage” to justify a possible escalation of its offensive.

The White House also denied any involvement in the alleged attack on Thursday and classified Peskov's statements as lies.

“We have nothing to do with this,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, on MSNBC. “Plain and simple, Peskov is lying,” he added.

“Unprecedented” attacks

Peskov said security measures at the complex had been “tightened” and state television showed Putin meeting Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov in the Kremlin.

Authorities also reinforced security in Moscow for the traditional military parade on May 9, Victory Day over Nazi Germany in 1945.

Given the security risks alleged in recent weeks by authorities, several events linked to the festive date have been cancelled, particularly in regions close to Ukraine.

Russian diplomacy on Thursday denounced an “unprecedented wave of Ukrainian terrorist activities and sabotage” on its territory.

In addition to the alleged attack against the Kremlin, two refinementsariaOil tanks were hit by drones in southwestern Russia, near Ukraine.

On the annexed peninsula of Crimea, a drone was shot down near the Russian air base in Sevastopol, Mijail Razvozhaiev, the governor of this location, reported on Telegram.

The increase in these types of attacks comes at a time when Kiev claims to be finalizing preparations for a major counteroffensive.

Russia still occupies almost 18% of the territory in southern and eastern Ukraine. Kiev's offensive aims to expel Moscow's troops beyond its borders.

The head of European Union diplomacy, Josep Borrell, called on Russia not to use the alleged attack on the Kremlin as a pretext to intensify its military offensive in Ukraine.

Zelensky visits the ICC

Ukrainian authorities also reported a Russian drone attack on their territory. According to the Air Force, Moscow “launched 24 Shahed 136/131 drones” and 18 were shot down.

Among the targets of the action was the capital Kiev, attacked “for the third time in four days”, said the commander of the capital's anti-aircraft defense forces, Serguii Popko.

All devices were knocked down, he said. Some debris fell on the streets of three Kiev neighborhoods and damaged some vehicles, but caused no casualties, he added.

Other locations in Ukraine suffered attacks this Thursday, including the southwestern port city of Odessa, targeted by “15 drones”, of which 12 were shot down, according to regional administration spokesman Serguii Brachuk.

Among the drones, “three hit a hostel”, without causing any casualties, said the spokesperson.

On Wednesday, the city of Kherson, in the south of the country, where a 58-hour curfew was announced from Friday, suffered several bombings that left 23 dead and 46 injured, according to the most recent official balance published this Thursday.

On a surprise visit to International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky called for the creation of a special court to hold Russia accountable for its “crime” of aggression.

“There should be accountability for this crime. And this can only be applied by the court,” Zelensky told diplomats and officials at the ICC, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March.

(With AFP)

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