The Russian Presidency stated that two Ukrainian drones were shot down on Tuesday night after they attempted to attack the Kremlin. They noted that these attempts were a terrorist act and an attempt on the life of President Vladimir Putin, although no one was injured in the incident.
However, Ukraine denies involvement in the attack. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mikhail Podoliak stated that “Ukraine has nothing to do with the drone attacks against the Kremlin.”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that he would ban drone flights over the Russian capital unless authorized by the government, with the aim of preventing unauthorized flights that could hamper the work of law enforcement. However, the Kremlin confirmed that the May 9 military parade in Moscow to celebrate the Soviet victory over the Nazis in 1945 will go ahead as planned, despite the attempted drone attack on Putin, which it blames on Ukraine.
Russian authorities shared images of the drones that were shot down by the city’s radar systems. The Kremlin is considering the possibility that the drones were sent by separatist groups seeking independence for the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, although no direct accusations have yet been made. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have increased in recent years since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in which Russia is believed to be supporting the separatists.