Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied any involvement in a drone attack on the Kremlin on Wednesday after Russia accused Kiev of trying to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. “We are not attacking Putin or Moscow, we are fighting on our territory. We don’t have enough weapons for this,” Zelensky said in Helsinki, after meeting the leaders of five Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland) .
Russia announced that radar systems “put out of action” at night two drones aimed at Putin’s residence in the Kremlin – several videos of the alleged moment have since surfaced on social media. The wreckage of the unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into the presidential palace complex.
“We consider these actions to be a planned act of terrorism and an attempt on the president’s life.” Russian authorities indicated, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was not in the building, but at his residence near the capital. Allies of the president rushed to demand retaliation, calling for “the destruction of the Kiev terrorist regime”. Former President Dmitry Medvedev even advocated Zelensky’s “physical elimination”.
However, Ukraine denies responsibility. Before Zelensky spoke on the subject, his adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, had said Kiev “had nothing to do” with the alleged drone strike and suggested it could have been staged. On Twitter, he claimed that Russia is preparing a “massive terrorist attack” against Ukraine. He recalled that a drone strike would not solve any military problem, but “gives the Russian Federation reason to attack civilians”.
The alleged drone attack comes after several episodes of sabotage, namely the explosions that caused freight trains to derail on Russian territory. Podolyak speaks of “guerrilla activities by local resistance forces”, also noting that “drones can be bought in any military shop”. Zelensky’s adviser therefore concluded that “something is going on in the Russian Federation, but certainly not Ukrainian drones over the Kremlin”.
The US is also skeptical of Russia’s accusations against Ukraine. “I’ve seen the information, I can’t validate it, we just don’t know,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, explaining that he distrusts anything coming out of the Kremlin.
Moscow has meanwhile declared a ban on the use of drones in the capital – Saint Petersburg did the same – with the signs appearing this Wednesday next to the Kremlin, where Victory Day celebrations are also being prepared. May 9 marks the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Dmitry Peskov said that despite the drone strike, no changes are planned for the military parade marking this day. Celebrations in other regions, namely near the border with Ukraine, had already been cancelled. This is at a time when Kiev forces are expected to counterattack. Russia, meanwhile, has intensified its attacks, with at least 21 killed and 48 injured in the Kherson region.
“decisive year”
The Ukrainian president arrived in Finland by surprise this Wednesday, where he met his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinisto, and the leaders of four other Nordic countries. “I believe this year will be decisive for us, for Europe, for Ukraine, decisive for victory,” said Zelensky, who again asked for more weapons to face the Russian invasion and congratulated Finland on joining NATO . “Ukraine needs the same security guarantees,” he said, saying there is no “more powerful” guarantee than NATO membership.
The leaders of the five Nordic countries who met the Ukrainian leader expressed their support for Ukraine’s accession to the Atlantic Alliance, as well as to the European Union. “The Nordic countries will continue their political, financial, humanitarian and military support for as long as necessary”This is what Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland say in a joint statement.
As for the weapons requested by Kiev, the US announced the shipment of another heavy artillery package and HIMARS missiles to aid the Ukrainian counter-offensive. For its part, the European Union revealed its plan to encourage an increase in munitions production within the bloc, not only to help Ukraine, but also to deal with the problems of shortages that member states themselves have. The package is worth €500 million and comes from the European budget.
Source: DN
