Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Ukraine had “nothing to do with” the purported drone strike, the Reuters news agency reported.
Russia’s claim is the most dramatic accusation it has levelled against Ukraine since invading its neighbour in February 2022, according to Reuters.
Russia accuses Ukraine of trying to assassinate Putin
The Kremlin’s press service said on Wednesday that "last night the Kyiv regime made an attempt to strike the Kremlin residence of Vladimir Putin with unmanned aerial vehicles.”
It added that “two unmanned aerial vehicles targeted the Kremlin," as quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda website.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that the Russian leader was not in the Kremlin when the attack took place, working instead at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow.
There were no other casualties or material damage, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing Russian state media.
“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, as quoted by the Reuters news agency.
It also called the attack a "planned act of terrorism" and "an assassination attempt on the President," adding that "the Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it deems necessary," according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Russian independent outlet Mediazona shared a video of the attack posted by residents of Moscow’s Yakimanka-Zamoskvorechye district, the website reported.
The district's Telegram channel said that locals heard a "bang" in the Kremlin area, which "sounded like a clap of thunder," and also saw sparks in the sky.
Meanwhile, after the "bang", people carrying flashlights were seen near the Kremlin wall, according to Mediazona.
Russia looking to justify attack on civilian targets in Ukraine?
Meanwhile, Podolyak said in a tweet that Russia had voiced the accusation possibly to justify “a massive terrorist attack” on Ukraine, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The presidential adviser wrote: “As for the drones over the Kremlin. 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.’”
Podolyak added that the drone attack could also indicate “guerilla activities of local resistance forces.”
"What happened in Moscow is obviously designed to escalate the situation before May 9," said Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov, the PAP news agency reported.
Nikiforov was referring to Russia's May 9 Victory Day parade, which foreign dignitaries were expected to attend, the British broadcaster BBC reported.
The parade will go ahead as planned, according to Russian state media, BBC added.
Victory Day is a major public holiday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, and a chance for Putin to rally Russians behind what he calls his "special military operation" in Ukraine, the Reuters news agency reported.
Moscow has accused Kyiv of numerous cross-border attacks since the start of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including strikes in December on an air base deep inside Russia that houses strategic bomber planes capable of carrying nuclear weapons, according to news outlets.
Ukraine usually declines to claim responsibility for attacks on Russia or Russian-annexed Crimea, although Kyiv officials have frequently celebrated such attacks, the Reuters news agency reported.
Wednesday is day 434 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, Reuters, Ukrainska Pravda, BBC