Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of a failed attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack on the Kremlin citadel in Moscow and said it reserved the right to retaliate.

A senior aide to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Kyiv had nothing to do with the reported incident, which he said could be used by the Kremlin to justify a new attack on Ukraine.

“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,” it said.

It said fragments of the drones were scattered in the Kremlin grounds but there were no injuries or damage.

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

Video posted by Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, showed a flying object approaching the dome of a Kremlin building overlooking Red Square and exploding in a burst of light just before reaching it. Seats could be seen set up for the Victory Day parade.

Another video posted on a neighbourhood internet group appeared to show a plume of smoke over the Kremlin spires filmed from across the Moskva River.

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