Foiled Kremlin Drone Attack Aimed at Putin

• Russia

By Starrys Obazei | May 3, 2023
starrys@ddnewsonline.com.

A “No Drone Zone” sign sits just off the Kremlin in central Moscow as it prohibits unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) flying over the area, on May 3, 2023. – Moscow’s mayor on May 3, 2023, announced a ban on unauthorized drone flights over the Russian capital, just as the Kremlin said it had shot down two Ukrainian drones targeting President Vladimir Putin

Russia said Wednesday it had shot down two drones aimed at Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Kremlin in what it called a “terrorist”, assassination attempt against the Russian president, AFP reports.

“Two unmanned vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin… the devices were put out of action,” the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that this had happened during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.

The remnants of the downed drones fell inside the Kremlin but did not injure anyone, the statement added.

It said the operation was “a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was working at his residence near Moscow on Wednesday and would still take part in a scheduled WWII Victory Day parade on Red Square next week as planned.

Moscow’s mayor announced a ban on unauthorized drone flights over the Russian capital.

In a statement, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said drone flights would be prohibited unless a special permit had been obtained from “government authorities”.

The Kremlin news came as Ukraine prepared for a fresh offensive against Russian troops that has been months in the planning.

In possible signs that preparations are being stepped up, the frontline city of Kherson in southern Ukraine announced a long curfew for residents and sabotage acts behind Russian lines intensified.

Kherson, which was re-taken by Ukrainian troops in November, will be under curfew from Friday evening until Monday morning.

Regional officials said this was “for law enforcement officers to do their job”, but similar long curfews have also been used in the past for troop and arms movements.

“During these 58 hours, it is forbidden to move on the streets of the city. The city will also be closed for entry and exit,” the head of Kherson’s regional military administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram.

He advised residents to stock up on food and medicine and said people could go for short walks near their houses or visit shops but should carry identity documents with them at all times.

The curfew announcement came as officials said three people were killed and five injured in a Russian strike on Kherson’s only working hypermarket on Wednesday.

Derailments and fires

Kherson was captured by Russian troops last year in the first days of the invasion and remained under Russian occupation until November 2022.

After a sustained campaign of sabotage attacks behind Russian lines, Russian forces withdrew from the city.

They crossed to the eastern side of the Dnipro River which now delineates part of the front line in southern Ukraine