Zelensky Denies Ukrainian Involvement In Alleged Kremlin Drone Explosions
Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that his country had not attacked Moscow or Russian President Vladimir Putin, denying Russian allegations that Ukraine was responsible for an overnight drone attack on the Kremlin.
“We don’t attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities,” he said, speaking at a May 3 press conference in Helsinki.
Earlier on Wednesday, Moscow claimed to have shot down two drones that were allegedly targeting Putin’s residence within the Kremlin, with no damage caused by debris from the drones and Putin unharmed. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the alleged attack as “a planned terrorist act” intended to assassinate Putin, with Moscow reserving the right to “carry out responsive measures”.
Peskov added that the alleged drone attack would not affect Russian plans to hold a military parade in Moscow on May 9, with the Victory Day parade expected to be attended by international guests. Local authorities in Russia’s Belgorod, Kursk, Voronezh, Oryol, Pskov, and Saratov regions, as well as Russian-occupied Crimea, had previously announced that they will not be holding Victory Day military parades this year due to security concerns.
Unverified recordings from what are said to be surveillance cameras with a view of the Kremlin show smoke rising from the compound, with one recording showing what appears to be a flying object exploding over the dome of the Kremlin Senate building, with audience stands prepared for the Victory Day parade visible in the foreground.
Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhaylo Podolyak had denied Ukrainian involvement earlier on Wednesday, suggesting that Russian partisans opposed to Putin were responsible for the alleged attack and other recent cases of suspected sabotage in Russia. “It’s all predictable… Russia is clearly preparing a large-scale terrorist attack. That’s why it first detains a large allegedly subversive group in Crimea. And then it demonstrates ‘drones over the Kremlin’,” tweeted Podolyak, who added that the allegations provided Russia an excuse for its attacks on Ukrainian civilians.