Two drones targeted the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, his office has claimed
FILE PHOTO. © Global Look Press / Alexander Legky
Purported footage of a Ukrainian drone strike targeting the Kremlin on Tuesday night has surfaced on a local Telegram channel.
The video shows plumes of white smoke rising into the night sky over the Grand Kremlin Palace, a 19th century building serving as the official working residence of the Russian president.
No sound can be heard in the video but witnesses claimed on Telegram that they heard at least one loud blast resembling “thunder rumbling.” People on the Kremlin embankment also reportedly saw sparks rising into the sky over the Kremlin wall.
An unverified video circulating on social media also shows a fire on the roof of the Senate Palace, the president’s second working residence in the Kremlin. Flames can be seen rising near the top of the roof.
Another unverified video published on Telegram purported to show the moment one of the drones struck the Senate Palace. The footage shows the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) approaching the building at a low altitude, before blowing up right over its dome. The blast appeared not to have dealt any significant damage to the building, as even the flagstaff with the presidential banner remained in place after the attack.
Russia’s regional channel TVC published another video, thought to be of the attack, showing a UAV flying over Red Square before blowing up over the Senate Palace. The channel also claimed that the two apparent attacks had occurred within 15 minutes of each other. The first drone struck the Senate Palace around 02:27 Moscow time, while the second one fell on the grounds of the Kremlin around 02:43am on Wednesday, the channel said, citing the videos it had obtained.
Earlier on Wednesday the Russian presidential office reported the attack, calling it a “planned terrorist act” targeting Putin’s residence. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified that the president was elsewhere at the time and his schedule is unaffected.
The Moscow city authorities have banned the unauthorized use of drones in the Russian capital, explaining that such actions could hamper the work of the law enforcement. Russia also said it reserves the right to retaliate to that attack “anywhere and anytime it deems necessary.”
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Kiev has denied responsibility for the strike. Ukraine “does not have any information about the so-called night attacks on the Kremlin,” President Vladimir Zelensky’s spokesman, Sergey Nikiforov, told journalists.
In late March, however, the head of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Aleksey Danilov, claimed on Twitter that Ukraine possesses “dozens of models” and “thousands of UAVs,” including those with a range of “more than 3,000 kilometers.”
