Moscow: Moscow on Thursday accused the US of plotting drone attack On the Kremlin, Washington denied an allegation, and said that Ukrainian sabotage on Russian territory had reached “unprecedented speed”.
Moscow called the president Vladimir Putin He was working from the Kremlin the day after the attack, which he said was a Ukrainian attempt to kill him.
“Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kiev, but in Washington,” a Kremlin spokesman said. Dmitry Peskov Said.
“Kiev only does what he is told to do.”
“Washington must clearly understand that we know this,” he said.
Ukraine has denied responsibility, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying “We do not attack Moscow or Putin.”
The US also denied any involvement.
“We had nothing to do with it,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on MSNBC. “Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple.”
During its more than a year-long offensive in Ukraine, Moscow has said Kiev is taking orders from the US – accusing the West of leading a proxy war against Russia.
The Kremlin attack came as Russia was preparing to mark one of its main May 9 holidays – a celebration of the Soviet victory over the Nazis – with a traditional military parade on Red Square.
This came after five days of exceptionally obvious sabotage attacks, which included explosions and massive fires involving trains.
But the Kremlin insisted on Thursday that the parade would take place under “strong” security despite attacks in border regions and the center of Russian power.
this couple Putin There are no plans to “address this topic”.
However, Moscow acknowledged that the country was facing an “unprecedented” wave of sabotage.
“Terrorist and subversive activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are gaining unprecedented momentum,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Russia has launched a terrorism investigation into the Moscow attack.
“What happened is subject to a thorough and operational investigation, (the special services) are working on it,” Kremlin spokesman Peskov said.
“It is up to them when to wait for the results.”
Russia has not released official photos of the drone strike. Unverified social media images showed a drone aiming at the Kremlin Senate building.
Peskov said “two copper sheets” on the dome of the 18th-century building were damaged by the fire.
“They have been replaced or will be replaced, everything will be like new. No other damage.”
On Thursday, Russia’s southern Krasnodar and Rostov regions, both near Ukraine, reported drone strikes that sparked fires.
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said the drone strike caused a fire at a refinery.
Shortly afterwards the governor of Russia’s Rostov region, which also borders Ukraine, said a drone had hit a local refinery near the village of Kiselevka, causing an explosion and fire.
As Moscow accused the US of planning a Kremlin attack, Ukraine’s Zelensky arrived in The Hague.
He visited the International Criminal Court, which in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the alleged illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
On a surprise visit to the Netherlands, Zelensky called for a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its “crime of aggression”.
He told the diplomats and officials in the court, “There must be accountability for this crime. And that can only be enforced by a tribunal.”
On the day of the Kremlin attack, Ukraine said 21 people had been killed in the southern Kherson region in Russian shelling, including an attack on a supermarket.
Zelensky is also scheduled to meet Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Defense Minister Kaja Olongren.
The Netherlands has promised both financial and military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.
The country announced last month that it would buy 14 Leopard 2 tanks with Denmark to deliver to Kiev, which is seeking more heavy weapons.
The Ukrainian air force said on Thursday that Russia had fired 24 attack drones overnight, of which 18 were shot down. Officials said there were no casualties.
Sergiy Popko, the city head of Kiev’s military administration, said that “all enemy missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) over Kiev were destroyed by the air defense forces”.
Popko said it was the third day of an attempted assault on Kiev in May.
“We haven’t had attacks with such an intensity since the beginning of this year,” he said.
Moscow called the president Vladimir Putin He was working from the Kremlin the day after the attack, which he said was a Ukrainian attempt to kill him.
“Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kiev, but in Washington,” a Kremlin spokesman said. Dmitry Peskov Said.
“Kiev only does what he is told to do.”
“Washington must clearly understand that we know this,” he said.
Ukraine has denied responsibility, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying “We do not attack Moscow or Putin.”
The US also denied any involvement.
“We had nothing to do with it,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on MSNBC. “Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple.”
During its more than a year-long offensive in Ukraine, Moscow has said Kiev is taking orders from the US – accusing the West of leading a proxy war against Russia.
The Kremlin attack came as Russia was preparing to mark one of its main May 9 holidays – a celebration of the Soviet victory over the Nazis – with a traditional military parade on Red Square.
This came after five days of exceptionally obvious sabotage attacks, which included explosions and massive fires involving trains.
But the Kremlin insisted on Thursday that the parade would take place under “strong” security despite attacks in border regions and the center of Russian power.
this couple Putin There are no plans to “address this topic”.
However, Moscow acknowledged that the country was facing an “unprecedented” wave of sabotage.
“Terrorist and subversive activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are gaining unprecedented momentum,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Russia has launched a terrorism investigation into the Moscow attack.
“What happened is subject to a thorough and operational investigation, (the special services) are working on it,” Kremlin spokesman Peskov said.
“It is up to them when to wait for the results.”
Russia has not released official photos of the drone strike. Unverified social media images showed a drone aiming at the Kremlin Senate building.
Peskov said “two copper sheets” on the dome of the 18th-century building were damaged by the fire.
“They have been replaced or will be replaced, everything will be like new. No other damage.”
On Thursday, Russia’s southern Krasnodar and Rostov regions, both near Ukraine, reported drone strikes that sparked fires.
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said the drone strike caused a fire at a refinery.
Shortly afterwards the governor of Russia’s Rostov region, which also borders Ukraine, said a drone had hit a local refinery near the village of Kiselevka, causing an explosion and fire.
As Moscow accused the US of planning a Kremlin attack, Ukraine’s Zelensky arrived in The Hague.
He visited the International Criminal Court, which in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the alleged illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
On a surprise visit to the Netherlands, Zelensky called for a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its “crime of aggression”.
He told the diplomats and officials in the court, “There must be accountability for this crime. And that can only be enforced by a tribunal.”
On the day of the Kremlin attack, Ukraine said 21 people had been killed in the southern Kherson region in Russian shelling, including an attack on a supermarket.
Zelensky is also scheduled to meet Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Defense Minister Kaja Olongren.
The Netherlands has promised both financial and military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.
The country announced last month that it would buy 14 Leopard 2 tanks with Denmark to deliver to Kiev, which is seeking more heavy weapons.
The Ukrainian air force said on Thursday that Russia had fired 24 attack drones overnight, of which 18 were shot down. Officials said there were no casualties.
Sergiy Popko, the city head of Kiev’s military administration, said that “all enemy missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) over Kiev were destroyed by the air defense forces”.
Popko said it was the third day of an attempted assault on Kiev in May.
“We haven’t had attacks with such an intensity since the beginning of this year,” he said.