Russia claimed Wednesday that Ukraine tried to assassinate President Vladimir Putin in an overnight drone attack on the Kremlin.
The accusation, made without providing evidence and without immediate reaction from Kyiv, was the latest in a string of reported incidents inside Russia and far from the war’s front lines.
In a statement on the Kremlin’s website, Putin’s press service said that Russian military and special services had disabled two attacking drones that were “aimed at the Kremlin.”
It blamed the alleged attack on Ukraine and said that no one was hurt by falling debris from the alleged drone attack in the heart of Moscow.
“We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the president, carried out on the eve of Victory Day,” the statement said, referring to the May 9 celebration of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
“The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit,” it added.
The video that shows the moment when the drones attacked Kremlin:
Video of the second drone strike on the Kremlin
16 minutes elapsed between the strikes of the two UAVs:
The purported drone attack video shows two persons climbing the dome on Kremlin just before the drone was downed
The Kremlin news came as Ukraine prepared for a fresh offensive against Russian troops that has been months in planning.
In possible signs that preparations are being stepped up, the frontline city of Kherson in southern Ukraine announced a long curfew for residents and sabotage acts behind Russian lines intensified.
Kherson, which was re-taken by Ukrainian troops in November, will be under curfew from Friday evening until Monday morning.
Regional officials said this was “for law enforcement officers to do their job”, but similar long curfews have also been used in the past for troop and arms movements.
“During these 58 hours, it is forbidden to move on the streets of the city. The city will also be closed for entry and exit,” the head of Kherson’s regional military administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram.
He advised residents to stock up on food and medicine and said people could go for short walks near their houses or visit shops but should carry identity documents with them at all times.
The curfew announcement came as officials said three people were killed and five injured in a Russian strike on Kherson’s only working hypermarket on Wednesday.
