Moscow Thursday accused the U.S. of orchestrating a drone assault on the Kremlin, which was denied by Washington, and mentioned Ukrainian sabotage inside Russian borders had reached “unprecedented momentum.”
Moscow mentioned President Vladimir Putin was working from the Kremlin the day after the assault, which it mentioned was a Ukrainian try and kill him.
“Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned.
“Kyiv only does what it is told to do… Washington should understand clearly that we know this,” he mentioned.
Ukraine has denied accountability, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying “We do not attack Moscow or Putin.”
The U.S. has additionally denied any involvement.
“Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple,” John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, mentioned on MSNBC.
Throughout its greater than year-long offensive in Ukraine, Moscow has maintained that Kyiv is taking orders from the U.S. – accusing the West of main a conflict in opposition to Russia by proxy.
Another Ukraine ally, EU international coverage chief Josep Borrell warned Moscow “not to use this alleged attack as an excuse to continue the escalation of the war”.
‘Unprecedented’ sabotage
The Kremlin assault got here as Russia prepares to mark one among its principal holidays of May 9 – celebrating the Soviet victory over the Nazis – with a standard army parade on Red Square.
It got here after 5 days of obvious sabotage assaults, together with trains derailed by explosions and large fires in annexed Crimea.
On Thursday, Russia’s southern Krasnodar and Rostov areas, each close to Ukraine, reported drone strikes that triggered fires.
And early Thursday night, Russia-installed authorities in Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, mentioned their forces had downed a drone close to an airbase within the area.
The Kremlin has insisted Moscow’s May 9 parade will go forward, regardless of the assaults in border areas and within the coronary heart of Russian energy, however underneath “strengthened” safety.
Russian tv on Thursday confirmed Putin within the Kremlin for the primary time for the reason that drone assault.
The Russian chief doesn’t plan “any address on this topic,” mentioned his spokesperson.
Moscow did, nonetheless, acknowledge that the nation was dealing with an “unprecedented” wave of sabotage.
Russia has opened a terrorism probe into the Moscow assault.
It has not launched official photos of the assault. Unverified social media photos confirmed a drone hitting the Kremlin Senate constructing.
Peskov mentioned “two copper sheets” on the dome of the 18th-century constructing had been broken by fireplace.
“They have been or will be replaced, everything will be like new. There is no other damage.”
‘Criminal actions’
As Moscow accused the U.S. of planning the Kremlin assault, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrived on a shock go to to The Hague.
He visited the International Criminal Court, which in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukrainian kids.
“We all want to see a different Vladimir here,” Zelenskyy mentioned, referring to the Russian President, his namesake, who he believes “deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law.”
A particular tribunal ought to be created to carry Russia to account for its “crime of aggression,” he mentioned.
“There should be responsibility for this crime. And this can only be enforced by the tribunal,” Zelenskyy informed diplomats and officers on the court docket.
The Netherlands has pledged each monetary and army help to Ukraine since Russia launched its offensive in February 2022.
Zelenskyy, who additionally met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, mentioned Ukraine was “realistic” that it will not have the ability to be a part of NATO whereas nonetheless combating Russia.
“But we want a very clear message that we will be in NATO after the war,” he mentioned.
Putin has used Ukraine’s want to be a part of the alliance to justify launching his offensive.
Intense strikes
On the day of the alleged Kremlin assault, Ukraine mentioned Russia had shelled the southern Kherson area, one strike hitting a grocery store.
At least 23 folks died, and 46 have been wounded within the strikes, officers mentioned.
After the Kremlin accused Kyiv of making an attempt to kill Putin, Ukrainian authorities mentioned they confronted a brand new wave of strikes in a single day.
The Ukrainian air power mentioned Thursday that Russia had fired 24 assault drones in a single day, 18 of which have been downed. Authorities mentioned there have been no casualties.
Sergiy Popko, the top of the town of Kyiv’s army administration, mentioned “All enemy missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were destroyed over Kyiv by air defense forces.”
Popko mentioned it was the third day of tried strikes on Kyiv in May.
“Our city has not experienced such intensity of strikes since the beginning of this year,” he mentioned.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
