RUSSIA claimed it foiled an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin early Wednesday, calling it an unsuccessful assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin and promising retaliation for what it termed a “terrorist” act. The Ukrainian President denied it, saying “We don’t attack Putin or Moscow.” Putin wasn’t in the Kremlin at the time and was at his NovoOgaryovo residence outside Moscow, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti. There was no independent verification of the reported attack on the Kremlin, which Russia authorities said occurred overnight but presented no evidence to support it. Questions also arose as to why it took the Kremlin hours to report the incident and why videos of it also surfaced that late in the day.

 

A video posted overnight on a local Moscow news’ Telegram channel’, shot from across the river from the Kremlin, appeared to show smoke rising over the buildings. It wasn’t possible to ascertain its veracity. According to text accompanying the footage, residents of a nearby apartment building reported hearing bangs and seeing smoke around 2:30 a.m The Kremlin said Russian military and security forces stopped the drones before they could strike. Nobody was hurt, it added. The Kremlin’s website said debris from the drones fell on the grounds of the Moscow landmark without damage. Zelenskyy, on an unannounced visit to Helsinki for talks with the leaders of five Nordic countries, denied any role in the attack. “We don’t attack Putin or Moscow.We fight on ourterritory.

 

We’re defending our villages and cities,” he said at a news conference. Ukrainepresidentialadviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the claims would provide a pretext for Russia “to justify massivestrikesonUkrainian cities, on the civilian population,oninfrastructurefacilities” in coming days. The Pentagon is looking into the alleged attacks, according to a U.S. Official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Americanintelligenceofficials also were were looking into the Russian claims but had not yet made a determination,accordingtoaU.S. Officialfamiliarwiththematter. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing assessment. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Washington at a World Press Freedom Day event, said he had seen the reports but “I can’t in any way validate them.Wesimplydon’tknow.”