Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev called Wednesday for the “elimination” of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky after Russia said it had shot down two drones aimed at President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin residence, in what it called a Ukrainian “terrorist” assassination attempt.
“We will demand the use of weapons capable of stopping and destroying the Kyiv terrorist regime,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian Duma and Putin ally.
Kyiv insisted it had “nothing to do” with the alleged attack, suggesting it was “staged” by Moscow, while the US said the report should be taken with a “shaker of salt.”
Fighting also intensified on the southern Ukrainian front, with Kyiv saying 18 people had been killed by Russian shelling in the Kherson region.
Russia announced the drone incident after a series of major sabotage attacks in the run-up to celebrations for the nation’s most important holiday on May 9, marking the Soviet victory over the Nazis.
“Today at night, the Kyiv regime attempted to strike the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation with unmanned aerial vehicles,” the Kremlin said.
“Two unmanned vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin… the devices were put out of action,” a Kremlin statement said.
The operation was described as “a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation.”
Moscow said Putin was not hurt and there were no casualties.
“Russia reserves the right to take retaliatory measures wherever and whenever it deems necessary,” the Kremlin statement continued.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was working at his residence near Moscow on Wednesday and would still take part in a scheduled World War II Victory Day parade on Red Square next week as planned.
Kyiv denied any involvement.
“We didn’t attack Putin…,” said Ukraine President Zelensky, on a surprise trip to Finland. “We fight on our territory, we are defending our villages and cities.”
Presidential spokesman Mikhaylo Podolyak said: “Such staged reports by Russia should be considered solely as an attempt to prepare an information background for a large-scale terrorist attack on Ukraine.”
