MOSCOW: Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of attacking the Kremlin with drones overnight in a failed attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin.

A senior Ukrainian presidential official denied the accusation — the most serious that Moscow has levelled at Kyiv in more than 14 months of war — and said it indicated Moscow was preparing a major “terrorist provocation”.

The United States is trying to validate Moscow’s charge, a US official said on Wednesday.

“We are still trying to validate this information,” said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “If there was anything, there was no warning.”

The Kremlin said Russia reserved the right to retaliate, and hardliners demanded swift retribution against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

“Two unmanned aerial vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin. As a result of timely actions taken by the military and special services with the use of radar warfare systems, the devices were put out of action,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

“We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president’s life, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned...

“The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit.” Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, posted a video showing a flying object approaching the dome of the Kremlin Senate building overlooking Red Square — site of the Victory Day parade — and exploding in an intense burst of light just before reaching it. Reuters could not immediately verify the video’s authenticity.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in comments sent to Reuters: “Ukraine has nothing to do with drone attacks on the Kremlin. We do not attack the Kremlin because, first of all, it does not resolve any military tasks.”

He added: “In my opinion, it is absolutely obvious that both ‘reports about an attack on the Kremlin’ and simultaneously the supposed detention of Ukrainian saboteurs in Crimea... clearly indicate the preparation of a large-scale terrorist provocation by Russia in the coming days.”

The powerful speaker of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, issued a statement demanding the use of “weapons capable of stopping and destroying the Kyiv terrorist regime”.

Margarita Simonyan, head of the state broadcaster RT, wrote on Telegram: “Maybe now things will get started for real?”

The statement from the presidential administration said fragments of the drones had been scattered on the territory of the Kremlin complex but there were no casualties or material damage.

RIA news agency said Putin had not been in the Kremlin at the time and was working on Wednesday at his Novo Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2023