An attempt to assassinate Putin: Russia shot down two Ukrainian drones tried to target the residence of the Russian president

Russia announced Wednesday the opening of an investigation into a terrorist act after Moscow reported that it had shot down two marches targeting the residence of President Vladimir Putin, accusing Ukraine of a “terrorist” assassination attempt.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, charged with investigating the most serious crimes, said in a statement that it had “opened a criminal investigation into terrorism in connection with the attempted bombing of the Russian President’s residence in the Kremlin”.
Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of attacking the Kremlin with two drones overnight in an unsuccessful attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin.
For its part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied, on Wednesday, his country’s involvement in the drone attack on the Kremlin building, in the Russian capital, Moscow.
During a joint press conference, with the leaders of Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland, in the Finnish capital, Zelensky said, “We are not attacking Putin or Moscow, we are only fighting on our lands, and we are defending our villages and cities”.
He added, “We did not attack Putin… We will leave it to the court,” he said, without elaborating.
Earlier, Sergey Nikiforov, spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, denied involvement in the recent attack on the Russian presidency.
In a press conference, he said, “The Ukrainian President has repeatedly stated that his country is directing all available forces and capabilities to liberate its territory, not to attack foreign countries”.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Kremlin described the attack as a “terrorist” attempt conducted by Kiev.
A US official said on Wednesday that the United States is trying to verify Moscow’s accusation that Ukraine tried unsuccessfully to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin with a drone attack on his residence in the Kremlin.
“We are still trying to verify the authenticity of this information,” added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Kremlin said Russian defenses had disabled the two drones used in what it said was an attack on Putin’s residence in the Kremlin.
The Kremlin added that Russia reserves the right to respond, a comment that suggests Moscow may use what it said about the attack to justify further escalation in the war with Ukraine.
The press office of the Kremlin said, on Wednesday, that Ukraine’s attempt to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin was a “planned terrorist act”.
The Kremlin press office stated, in a statement, that “two Ukrainian drones attacked last night the residence of President Putin in the Kremlin,” in what it described as a “terrorist” assassination attempt.
The Kremlin said in the statement, “Two drones targeted the Kremlin… As a result of the timely measures taken by the army and the private security services, using radar systems, the two planes were disabled”.
“We consider these acts a planned terrorist act and an attempt to assassinate the president ahead of the Victory Day celebrations and the May 9 parade, which is also scheduled to be attended by foreign guests,” he added.
He added, “The Russian side reserves the right to respond with measures in the place and time it deems appropriate”.
Telegram channels links to Russian security services, posted a videos showing a flying object approaching the dome of one of the famous Kremlin buildings overlooking Red Square, and then this object explodes before it reaches.
The Kremlin statement said that the fragments of the two drones were scattered on the territory of the Kremlin complex, but there were no injuries or material damage.
According to Russian authorities, Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time and that he would start work today, Wednesday, from his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow.
Russian State Duma deputy and leader of the “Fair Russia” party, Sergey Mironov, said that the assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin is a justification for a “real war” and the liquidation of Ukraine’s leadership.
“This is a justification for war,” Mirnov added in a statement… For a real war and the elimination of the terrorist elite in Ukraine…We have a reason to hit their hideouts”.
Mironov stressed, “For Zelensky and his military council, there can be only three options: repeating the fate of Hitler, repeating the fate of the terrorist Dudayev, or facing the international tribunal for war crimes and other crimes”.
The Kremlin had announced that it had thwarted a Ukrainian attack on the Russian president, and vowed to respond, as the Russian presidential administration considered the Ukrainian regime’s launch of drones on the Kremlin a planned terrorist act, and an attempt to assassinate the head of state, and reserves the right to take retaliatory measures wherever and however it deems appropriate.