Ukraine Denies Russian Claim Kyiv Sent Drones to Hit Kremlin

A "No Drone Zone" sign is placed in front of the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 03 May 2023. (EPA)
A "No Drone Zone" sign is placed in front of the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 03 May 2023. (EPA)
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Ukraine Denies Russian Claim Kyiv Sent Drones to Hit Kremlin

A "No Drone Zone" sign is placed in front of the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 03 May 2023. (EPA)
A "No Drone Zone" sign is placed in front of the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 03 May 2023. (EPA)

Russia claimed it foiled an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin early Wednesday, calling it an unsuccessful assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin and promising retaliation for what it termed a "terrorist" act. The Ukrainian president denied it, saying: "We don't attack Putin or Moscow."

Putin wasn’t in the Kremlin at the time and was at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti.

There was no independent verification of the reported attack on the Kremlin, which Russia authorities said occurred overnight but presented no evidence to support it. Questions also arose as to why it took the Kremlin hours to report the incident and why videos of it also surfaced that late in the day.

A video posted overnight on a local Moscow news Telegram channel, shot from across the river from the Kremlin, appeared to show smoke rising over the buildings. It wasn’t possible to ascertain its veracity. According to text accompanying the footage, residents of a nearby apartment building reported hearing bangs and seeing smoke around 2:30 a.m.

The Kremlin said Russian military and security forces stopped the drones before they could strike. Nobody was hurt, it added.

The Kremlin’s website said debris from the drones fell on the grounds of the Moscow landmark without damage.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on an unannounced visit to Helsinki for talks with the leaders of five Nordic countries, denied any role in the attack.

"We don’t attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We’re defending our villages and cities," he said at a news conference.

Ukraine presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the claims would provide a pretext for Russia "to justify massive strikes on Ukrainian cities, on the civilian population, on infrastructure facilities" in coming days.

The Pentagon is looking into the alleged attacks, according to a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

American intelligence officials also were looking into the Russian claims but had not yet made a determination, according to a US official familiar with the matter. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing assessment.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Washington at a World Press Freedom Day event, said he had seen the reports but "I can’t in any way validate them. We simply don’t know."

He added: "I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt. So let’s see. We’ll see what the facts are and it’s really hard to comment or speculate on this without really knowing what the facts are."

The purported drone attack would be a significant escalation in the 14-month conflict, with Ukraine taking the war to the heart of Russian power.

Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews, said, "It certainly wasn’t an attempt to assassinate Putin, because he doesn’t sleep in the roof and he probably never sleeps in the Kremlin."

He added it was too soon to prove or disprove whether it was a Russian attempt "either to make Ukraine look reckless or to buck up Russian public opinion" or if it was a Ukrainian operation to embarrass Russia.

The alleged attack immediately prompted calls in Russia from pro-Kremlin figures in Russia to carry out assassinations on senior leadership in Ukraine.

The Kremlin claimed the attack was planned to disrupt Victory Day, which Russia celebrates in Red Square on May 9 to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Peskov said the parade would take place as scheduled.

Shortly before the news about the alleged attack broke, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin issued a ban on using drones in the Russian capital, with an exception for drones launched by authorities.

Sobyanin didn’t offer any reason for the ban, saying only that it would prevent the "illegal use of drones that can hinder the work of law enforcement."

Zelenskyy was in Finland to secure greater firepower for his armed forces as they figure out how to dislodge Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy told a Helsinki news conference before Russia’s drone attack claims that Ukraine’s counteroffensive is coming "very soon." This year "will be decisive … for victory," he said.

The Nordic countries — Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland — have been among Kyiv's strongest backers since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Before the meeting with Zelenskyy in Finland's capital, Nordic officials appeared ready to provide more aid as the war stretches into its 15th month.

"There is still an urgent need for military support to ensure that the Ukrainians stand as strong as possible in the fight against Russia," Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen said in a statement.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, another of the summit attendees, said: "Here in the north, we have a more unpredictable and aggressive Russian neighbor, and it is important that we discuss together how to face this new situation."

The talks came a day after US officials said Washington plans to send Ukraine about $300 million in additional military aid, including an enormous number of artillery rounds, howitzers, air-to-ground rockets and ammunition.

The weapons will all be pulled from Pentagon stocks, so they can go quickly to the front lines, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not yet been formally announced.

Elsewhere, Russia used Iranian-made drones during its third attack on Ukraine's capital city in six days.

Explosions were heard in Kyiv and elsewhere during the night as Ukrainian air defenses shot down 21 of the Russian drones, Ukraine’s Air Force Command said. No damage or casualties were reported

Meanwhile, a massive blaze broke out at a Russian oil depot, local officials said Wednesday.

The depot erupted in flames in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, located east of the Russian-held Crimean Peninsula, according to Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev.

He didn’t say what caused the fire, which was described as extremely difficult to put out. But some Russian media outlets said it was likely caused by a Ukrainian drone attack overnight. There was no official comment on that possibility.

Local residents heard an explosion shortly before the fire erupted, Russian news site Baza said.

Military analysts think Ukraine is targeting supply lines in the Russian rear while gearing up for a possible counteroffensive amid improving weather conditions and as it receives large amounts of weapons and ammunition from its Western allies.

Explosions also derailed a Russian freight train and hit a Russian airfield in recent days. Last weekend, a massive fire erupted at an oil depot in Crimea after it was hit by two of Ukraine’s drones, a Russia-appointed official said.

In anticipation of a Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russian forces are focused on destroying logistical routes and centers of Ukraine’s armed forces with long-range strikes, Kyiv military officials say.

At the same time, Russia plans to continue talks with the United Nations and other parties to a wartime agreement on facilitating Black Sea agricultural shipments, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said ahead of talks on Friday.

Earlier Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed a new round of consultations between Russia and the UN on access of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to the world market would be held in Moscow.

Signed in July and renewed twice, most recently in March, the deal unblocked Ukrainian grain shipments that were held up in the country's blockaded ports last year. The deal will expire May 18 unless Russia agrees to its renewal.

In the latest Ukrainian civilian casualties, three people died and five were wounded when what was described as the only working supermarket in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson came under fire about 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

A round-the-clock curfew is to be introduced in Kherson from 8 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday, Kherson Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin announced.

"During these 58 hours, it is forbidden to move around or stay on the streets of the city. Also, the city will be closed for entry and exit," he said.

The measure is necessary, he said in a video on social media, "so that law enforcement officers can do their job and not put you in danger," but didn't provide further details.

Both Russia and Ukraine reportedly have experienced ammunition shortages after a winter of long-range shelling and missile strikes. Ukraine's government has been pressing its allies to give it more as officials consider when and how they might start trying to drive Russian forces out of the Ukrainian territory they have occupied.



Ukraine to Boost Domestic Arms Production to Counter Russia's Invasion, Says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. File Photo/The AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. File Photo/The AP
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Ukraine to Boost Domestic Arms Production to Counter Russia's Invasion, Says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. File Photo/The AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. File Photo/The AP

A new Ukrainian government approved Thursday will race to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country’s weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, Switzerland said Thursday that the US Defense Department had informed it that Washington is diverting a Swiss order for Patriot air defense systems to help Ukraine, which badly needs to improve its response to increasingly heavy Russian aerial attacks.

Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine The Swiss Defense Ministry, which in 2022 ordered five Patriot systems, said Thursday it has been informed by the US Defense Department that it will “reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine.”

It was not immediately clear whether the Swiss-ordered Patriots would go directly to Ukraine or would replace units in other European countries that may be donated to Kyiv, The AP news reported.

Delivery to Switzerland of the systems, worth billions of dollars, was scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2028. But the Swiss government said Washington informed it of the delay on Wednesday, adding that it was unclear how many systems would be affected.

The need to adequately arm Ukraine’s military is pressing as Russia looks to drive forward its summer offensive after three years of war and pounds Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles.

It remains unclear when the promised US-made weapons, especially the Patriot systems, might reach Ukraine. Trump has agreed to send the weaponry, but it will be paid for by European countries.

No timeframe for foreign weapons in Ukraine The US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said he couldn’t give a timeframe for when Ukraine might get extra foreign weapons.

“We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done. Things are actually moving very quickly, but I can’t verify a date that this will all be completed. I think it’s going to be an ongoing movement,” he told reporters in Brussels.

“The plan is that there will be American-made defense equipment, capabilities, that will be sold to our European allies, that they will provide to Ukraine,” he said.

British Defense Secretary John Healey said Thursday he and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius will chair a meeting of Ukraine’s allies on Monday to discuss US President Donald Trump’s weapons plans. Healey said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte will attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, told The Associated Press Thursday that “preparations are underway” for weapons transfers to Ukraine and that NATO is working “very closely” with Germany to transfer Patriot systems.

Grynkewich said at a military event in Wiesbaden, Germany, that he had been ordered to “move (the weapons) out as quickly as possible.” He said the number of weapons being transferred is classified.

German Defense Ministry spokesperson Mitko Müller said Wednesday he couldn't confirm that anything is currently on its way to Ukraine.

Rutte, the NATO chief, said in Washington on Monday that the alliance is coordinating the military support with funding from allies in Europe and Canada. He said there were commitments from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada, “with more expected to follow.”

Ukraine now makes 40% of its own weapons Ukraine's domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for almost 40% of weapons used by the Ukrainian military, according to Zelensky. As uncertainty grows about how many more weapons shipments Western countries can provide — and how quickly — Ukraine is keen to increase its output and widen its strikes on Russian soil.

“What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia’s territory — back to where the war was brought from," Zelensky said late Wednesday in his nightly video address.

“We must reach the level of 50% Ukrainian-made weapons within the first six months of the new government’s work by expanding our domestic production.”

Ukraine has also developed its own long-range drones, which it uses to strike deep inside Russia .

Russian air defenses shot down 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the country’s defense ministry said Thursday. The wave of drones caused flights to be grounded at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg, although most of the drones were reportedly destroyed over the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk.

Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 64 Shahed and decoy drones overnight, killing at least one person, the Ukrainian air force reported. The assault centered on the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said.

In other developments:

Russia on Thursday sent to Ukraine 1,000 bodies, including some of the country’s fallen soldiers, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.

At the same time, Russia received the bodies of 19 soldiers, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said.

The exchange was part of a deal reached at direct peace talks last May and June that produced few other agreements between the sides.