Russia said it defeated an attack by a pair of drones on President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Kremlin in Moscow Tuesday night, blaming the attempt on Ukraine.
(Bloomberg) — Russia said it defeated an attack by a pair of drones on President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Kremlin in Moscow Tuesday night, blaming the attempt on Ukraine.
The drones were disabled and crashed in the Kremlin without causing injuries or damage, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time, his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said, according to RIA Novosti.
Still, it called the assault “an attempt on the life of the president.” It didn’t provide any evidence for the attack and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Russia “reserves the right to take retaliatory measures when and where it considers necessary,” the statement said.
If confirmed, an attack on a complex that for centuries has symbolized Russian official power would be a dramatic step in bringing the threat of war home to the country. Since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Russian missiles and drones have repeatedly struck the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other cities, including as recently as this week.
Military Parade
The Kremlin’s claim comes as the country prepares to celebrate Victory Day on May 9, a major holiday in Russia marking the Soviet triumph in World War II. Peskov said Putin will participate in a Red Square military parade on that day.
About a dozen cities around Russia have canceled parades and other public activities for May 9, citing unspecified security concerns. Many canceled fireworks.
Shortly before the Kremlin statement was released, Moscow city authorities issued an order banning the use of drones in the capital, state-run Tass news service reported said.
Starting last year, Russia deployed anti-aircraft weapons in and around the capital to step up protection. In recent months, there have been several reports of drones of various sizes crashing in regions outside Moscow.
(Updates with details from second paragraph.)
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