Russia claimed on Wednesday May 3 to have shot down two drones launched against the Kremlin compound in Moscow during the night with the aim of killing Vladimir Putin, a few days before the military celebrations of May 9. Here is what we know, for the time being, of this alleged attack against the heart of Russian power, denied by Kiev, which intervenes in full multiplication of attacks and sabotage in Russia.
• An attack that would have taken place in the night
In the middle of the afternoon on Wednesday, the Kremlin issued a statement claiming that two Ukrainian drones attempted to strike during the night the Kremlin complex, the center of Russian power under the guard of the Federal Protection Service (FSO) which ensures the personal safety of Vladimir Putin.
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“We consider these actions an attempted terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the president”says the Kremlin.
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According to the presidency, the two aircraft were shot down thanks to “electronic warfare radar systems”. “There were no casualties or damage caused by the falling and dispersal of the fragments” drones on the Kremlin, according to this source.
The Kremlin assures that the president was not injured. At the same time, his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Russian media that Vladimir Putin was not there at the time of the attack.
• Unauthenticated videos
Right from the Kremlin statement, a series of videos purporting to show the attack suddenly appeared on multiple Russian-speaking Telegram channels supporting the attack in Ukraine.
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One of these videos, the most spectacular, shows a flying machine exploding in a shower of flames above the dome of the Palace of the Senate, surmounted by a Russian flag, one of the main buildings in the compound of the Kremlin.
AFP was unable to confirm the veracity of these videos and Russian authorities have not commented on them at this stage. Late Wednesday afternoon, an AFP correspondent saw several people busying themselves on the dome of the Senate Palace, without visible traces, from the ground, of damage to the dome in question.
• Ukraine denies any involvement
Very quickly, the Ukrainian presidency declared that it had no ” nothing to see “ with this alleged attack, even accusing Russia of a “staging”.
“We did not attack Putin. We leave it to the court. We fight on our territory, we defend our villages and our cities”said Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference in Helsinki with leaders of northern European countries. “We are not attacking Putin or Moscow. We don’t have enough weapons for that.”he added.
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• The cautious United States
The United States said to take with “a lot of precaution” the statements of Russia which claimed to have shot down two Ukrainian drones which targeted the Kremlin in Moscow.
“I saw the news. I can’t validate them, we don’t know”, said the head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken. But, he added, “I would take anything that comes out of the Kremlin very carefully”.
• In Russia, calls to “eliminate” Zelensky
The Speaker of the Lower House of the Russian Parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, called on him to ” destroy “ the Ukrainian government after this alleged attack. “After today’s terrorist attack, there is no alternative but the physical elimination of Zelensky and his clique”for his part, wrote on Telegram Dmitry Medvedev, current number two of the Russian Security Council and accustomed to vitriolic statements.
The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, for his part announced that drone flights would henceforth be strictly prohibited in the capital, except with special authorization from the Russian government.
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• Tense context for Moscow
The attack comes as Russia is under pressure from a string of drone attacks over the past five days, including against oil depots and two spectacular railway sabotages in a Russian region bordering Ukraine.
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These incidents occur a few days before the celebrations, on May 9, of the 1945 victory against Nazi Germany, an essential date in the political agenda of the Kremlin, which arises as a successor to the power of the USSR.
The spokesman for the Russian presidency assured that the large military parade in Red Square, which adjoins the Kremlin, will be held as planned, despite this alleged drone attack.
