Ukraine has been accused by Russia of a thwarted conspiracy to assassinate its President, Vladimir Putin, in a nighttime drone strike on the Kremlin.
Moscow claimed Ukrainian forces targeted Russia’s parliament with two unmanned drones, but said these had been taken out by the military.
The Kremlin said the alleged attack, which it branded a “terrorist act”, did not cause any damage or casualties.
A statement said that Mr Putin was not inside the Kremlin at the time of the alleged attack. He is safe and continues to work with his schedule, it added.
The Kremlin did not present any evidence of the alleged attack and its statement included few details.
The state-owned Tass news agency quoted the statement as saying that the Kremlin considered the development to be a deliberate attempt on Mr Putin’s life ahead of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on 9 May.
The statement said: “Two unmanned aerial vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin. As a result of timely actions taken by the military and special services with the use of radar warfare systems, the devices were put out of action.
“We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president’s life, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned.
“The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit.”
A senior Ukraine President’s Office official denied Kyiv had anything to do with the attack.
Officials said two drones were aimed at Kremlin, Russia’s parliament (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Officials said two drones were aimed at Kremlin, Russia’s parliament (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
It comes amid tit-for-tat attacks between the two sides as Ukraine prepares for an expected counter-offensive that analysts predict could be launched within weeks.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russia said a massive blaze broke out at an oil depot near a key bridge in the annexed Crimea region.
The oil depot erupted in flames in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, located east of the Russian-held Crimean Peninsula, according to Krasnodar governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
He did not say what caused the fire, which was described as extremely difficult to put out. But some Russian media outlets said it was likely caused by a Ukrainian drone attack overnight. There was no official comment on that possibility.
Local residents heard an explosion shortly before the fire erupted, Russian news site Baza said.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv and elsewhere during the night as Ukrainian air defences shot down 21 of the Russian drones, Ukraine’s Air Force Command said.
No damage or casualties were reported in the third attempt in six days by the Kremlin’s forces to hit Kyiv.
Both sides reportedly have experienced ammunition shortages after a winter of long-range shelling and missile strikes as the conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition.
Analysts believe Ukraine is targeting supply lines in the Russian rear as Kyiv gears up for its counteroffensive amid improving weather conditions and as it receives large amounts of weapons and ammunition from its Western allies.