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Topics: Vladimir Putin, Russia, Ukraine, News
Callum Jones
Topics: Vladimir Putin, Russia, Ukraine, News
Russia has said that two Ukrainian drones targeted the Kremlin last night in an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin adds that the two drones were quickly disabled, with Putin not present at the time.
In a statement published on its website, the Kremlin stated it believes the alleged attack to have been a planned terrorist act, with the aim of taking down the Russian leader.
"Last night, the Kyiv regime attempted to carry out a strike on the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation with unmanned aerial vehicles," it said.
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"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 vehicles were put out of action."
Fragments of the drone landed on the Kremlin grounds, but no one was left injured.
"There were no victims and material damage," the Kremlin added, before stating that 'the Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit'.
"The president was not hurt as a result of the terrorist attack," the statement concluded.
Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that Putin was not on-site at the time of the alleged attack, adding that he would spend the day at his Novo-Ogoryovo state residence outside of Moscow.
Unverified footage of the event is circulating on social media, with what appears to show smoke coming out of the Kremlin overnight.
Ukraine has denied having anything to do with the strike.
The alleged attack is another twist in what has been a brutal and bloody war between Russia and Ukraine so far.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022, has led to Putin being issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes.
The Hague court, which investigates those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, issued the warrant for the Russian president in March due to his alleged involvement in the abduction of children in Ukraine.
In a statement, the ICC said that Putin is 'allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation'.