Russia is accusing Ukraine of trying to assassinate their President Vladimir Putin after they shot down 2 drones that targeted the Kremlin in Moscow last night.
Unverified footage of the incident that is circulating on social media shows some time of a hovering object flying toward the flag flying over the Kremlin before a small explosion blasts the object into bits.
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Putin’s spokesman said he was not in the Kremlin at the time of the attack. In a statement, the Kremlin said: “Last night, the Kyiv regime attempted to carry out a strike on the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation with unmanned aerial vehicles.” It further added that it regarded this “as a planned terrorist act and an assassination attempt on the president”, and Russia “reserves the right to take retaliatory measures wherever and whenever is deemed necessary”.
According to Russia, the drones were disabled using electronic radar assets. Ukraine has already denied having anything to do with the assumed attack.
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BBC’s Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg said that Putin’s security is iron clad and he was astonished to hear that a drone even made it to the vicinity of his house. It was confirmed that Putin was not hurt in the incident and would continue his schedule as normal. He is scheduled to work in Novo Ogaryovo outside Moscow on Wednesday.
Moscow’s mayor has announced a ban on unauthorized drone flights over the city, on Wednesday. Videos posted on Russian social media showed smoke flying over Moscow in the early hours of the morning.
There were also reports of fragments of the drones being found near the Kremlin but no one has been hurt and there is no damage to the buildings.
The incident happened shortly before Russia’s May 9 Victory Day parade, where foreign dignitaries were expected to attend. The event is still scheduled to go ahead as planned.
