Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Zelensky denies Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin at Kremlin with drones

Zelensky denies Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin at Kremlin with drones

Ukraine denies alleged attack on Russian president which reportedly saw two drones brought down over the Kremlin

Ukraine has denied attacking the Kremlin with drones overnight in a failed bid to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.

Russia said on Wednesday two drones had been used in the alleged attack on Putin’s residence in the Kremlin citadel, but had been disabled by electronic Russian defences before they could strike.

But Kyiv has firmly denied the accusation - the most serious that Moscow has levelled in more than 14 months of war - which it said would “allow Russia to justify massive attacks on Ukrainian cities”.

In a statement, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “We don't attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We're defending our villages and cities.”

The Kremlin has alleged debris from the devices fell on the grounds of the seat of Russia’s government but did not cause any damage. The statement, which did not explain what caused the drones to break up, said no casualties were reported.

The Kremlin said it considered the attack an act of terrorism and reserved the right to retaliate, state-run RIA news agency reported.



“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 devices were put out of action,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

“We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president’s life, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned.

“The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit.”

Kyiv categorically denied involvement in the attack.

Vladimir Putin


“We do not attack the Kremlin because, first of all, it does not solve any military problems,” Ukraine’s presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Wednesday afternoon.

“This is extremely disadvantageous from the point of view of preparing our offensive measures.

“And most importantly, it would allow Russia to justify massive strikes on Ukrainian cities, on the civilian population, on infrastructure facilities. Why do we need this?”

The US secretary of state said he could not validate Russia's accusation that Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin, but he would take anything coming from the Kremlin with a “very large shaker of salt."

Asked if the United States would criticise Ukraine if it decided on its own to strike back in Russian territory, Antony Blinken said those were decisions for Ukraine to make about how to defend itself.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA that Putin wasn’t in the Kremlin at the time of the alleged attack, and was working from the Novo-Ogaryovo residence.

President Zelensky has denied any role in the attack


Putin was not injured, and there was no material damage to the Kremlin buildings, the Kremlin said, adding that the President’s schedule was unchanged following the incident.

"The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit," it said.

An unverified video circulating on Russian social media including the channel of the military news outlet Zvezda showed pale smoke rising behind the main Kremlin Palace in the walled citadel after the purported incident.

According to text accompanying the video, residents of a nearby apartment building reported hearing bangs and seeing smoke at around 2.30am local time. It was not possible to independently verify the posted footage.

The Kremlin didn’t present any evidence from the reported incident, and its statement included few details.Kremlin spokesman Peskov said a military parade would take place as scheduled on Thursday, when Russia will hold its annual Victory Day celebrations.

Victory Day is a key anniversary for President Vladimir Putin, commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

But Russia has reportedly already scaled back this year’s festivities, citing concerns they could be targeted by pro-Ukrainian saboteurs.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Syria Holds First Elections Since Fall of Assad
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
×