Ukrainian president denies Kyiv’s involvement in drone attack on Kremlin residence

ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday denied Kyiv’s involvement in a drone attack on the Kremlin residence in the Russian capital Moscow earlier in the day.

"We are not attacking (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or Moscow. We are fighting on our own territory and defending our villages and cities. We have not attacked Putin. We will leave it to the tribunal," Zelenskyy said in a joint news conference during the Nordic Summit in the Finnish capital Helsinki.

Zelenskyy’s Press Secretary Serhii Nykyforov also denied Ukraine’s involvement in the incident, which the Russian presidency defined as a “terrorist” attempt by Kyiv, saying that the country directs “all available forces and funds to the liberation of its own territories, and not to the attack of foreign ones."

Russia earlier claimed that Ukraine attempted to strike the Kremlin residence with two drones, which it said were shot down.

“We view these actions as a planned terrorist attack and an assassination attempt targeting the President, carried out ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade, where foreign guests are expected to be present, among others,” it said.

It added that Putin was not injured by the alleged attack and that the Russian side reserves “the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it deems appropriate.”

Following the news of the attempted attack, Moscow banned drone flights in the capital.​​​​​​​