Day 435 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russia has accused the US of being behind the Drone Attack on the Kremlin

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Day 435 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Russia has accused the US of being behind the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin
• The Kremlin building, over which two drones exploded, houses Putin's apartment and offices
• Air alert in Kyiv and a number of other areas in eastern Ukraine
• The Russian military sent 15 Shahed drones to Odesa, most of them were destroyed
• A drone attack caused a fire at an oil refinery in Russia
• Zelensky: We did not attack the Kremlin or Putin, we defend our villages and cities
• Medvedev: No option left other than elimination of Zelensky
• Yevgeny Prigozhin: The Ukrainian counter-offensive has begun, I expect its active phase within days

Russia has accused the US of being behind the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin

Russia has accused the United States of being behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin that Moscow says was aimed at killing President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the claim at a briefing with reporters, saying Washington must be aware that Russia knows it is picking targets and Ukraine is simply carrying out US plans. Peskov did not provide any evidence to support the claim of US intervention.

Ukraine denied involvement in the incident in the early hours of Wednesday. Video footage showed two flying objects approaching the Kremlin. One of them exploded.

"Attempts to deny this both in Kyiv and in Washington, of course, are absolutely ridiculous. We know very well that the decisions for such actions, for such terrorist attacks are made not in Kyiv, but in Washington," Peskov said.

In his words, the United States has often chosen both the targets that Ukraine attacks and the means to do so.

"This is also often dictated from across the ocean. We know it well and we are aware of it... In Washington they must clearly understand that we know this," added the spokesman.

The Kremlin has said it reserves the right to retaliate, but did not say what form that might take.

Peskov said Russia has several options and the answer, when it comes, will be carefully considered and balanced. He indicated that an urgent investigation was underway, but could not say when the results would be known.

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry said the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin in Moscow "should not go unanswered" and showed Kyiv was unwilling to end the war at the negotiating table.

In a statement, the ministry condemned Western "silence" over the incident and called on other nations and international organizations to condemn what Moscow called a terrorist attempt to kill President Putin.

The Kremlin building, over which two drones exploded, houses Putin's apartment and offices

The Kremlin's Senate Palace, over which two drones exploded on the evening of May 3, houses most of the rooms used by Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was written by the Telegram channel "Faridaily", quoted by the Ukrainian news site "Gordon".

The building houses various offices of the President of the Russian Federation, the head of the presidential administration and his deputies, as well as meeting rooms. The meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation before the war in Ukraine took place in the Dome or Catherine Hall of the Senate Palace.

Also in this building is the president's apartment in the Kremlin. Putin recently received Chinese President Xi Jinping there.

"Apparently, because of this, in the Kremlin's official announcement, the event was defined as an attempt on the president's life," the channel wrote.

However, it should be clarified that Putin rarely visits the Kremlin - usually his visits are related to official occasions and are during the day. According to sources close to the presidency, ever since Putin was prime minister (2008-2012), he preferred to work in his residences in Novo Ogarevo, near Moscow, or in Sochi, on the Black Sea coast.

On May 3, Russia accused Ukraine of orchestrating a drone attack on the Kremlin. Footage on social media shows a drone crashing into one of the palace's buildings as two unidentified people climb its dome. Moscow accused Ukraine of organizing a "planned terrorist attack" with the intention of killing Russian President Vladimir Putin and clarified that the head of state was not in the Kremlin at the time of the attack and was unharmed. Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, stressed that Ukraine was not behind the attack.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russia staged the attack, with its alleged aim "to create the conditions for wider public mobilization".

In The Hague, Zelensky called for Putin to be brought to justice

Russian President Vladimir Putin must face justice for his war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday during a visit to The Hague, home to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Reuters reported. Zelensky also called for the creation of a war crimes tribunal separate from the International Criminal Court.

"The aggressor must feel the full force of justice. This is our historic responsibility," he said in a speech.

"Only one institution is capable of responding to the original crime, the crime of aggression - a tribunal. Not some compromise that will allow politicians to say the case is supposedly closed, but a real, really real, full-fledged tribunal."

In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for allegedly deporting children from Ukraine, and the European Commission said another international center would be set up in The Hague to prosecute the crime of aggression in Ukraine.

"We all want to see another Vladimir (Владимир) here in The Hague, the one who deserves to be punished for his criminal actions here in the capital of international law," Zelensky said, referring to Putin.

"I'm sure we'll see that happen when we win, and we will win," he stressed, adding: "Whoever provokes war should be punished."

Russia, which is not a member of the International Criminal Court and rejects its jurisdiction, denies committing atrocities during its conflict with Ukraine, which it calls a "special operation" to "demilitarize" its neighbor.

Earlier in the day, on his first official visit to the Netherlands, Zelensky visited the ICC for just under an hour. As he left, the president, dressed in his trademark khakis, waved to a Ukrainian family outside the building, who chanted "Glory to Ukraine."

The Netherlands is a strong supporter of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Mark Rutte saying in February that he did not rule out any kind of military support for Kyiv as long as it did not bring NATO into conflict with Russia.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced in February that an international center for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in Ukraine would be established in The Hague. The ICC can prosecute genocide in Ukraine, but it has no jurisdiction over alleged crimes of aggression by Russia there.

An act of aggression is defined by the UN as "an invasion or attack by the armed forces of a state (on) the territory of another state or any military occupation".

Russia has stepped up attacks as Ukraine prepares for a counteroffensive. Russian shelling in Kherson killed at least 23 civilians on Wednesday.

Air alert in Kyiv and a number of other areas in eastern Ukraine

An air alert was declared tonight for most of the eastern half of Ukraine.

Residents of the Kyiv region were warned of the threat of shelling. Explosions were also reported in the capital, Kyiv. Anti-aircraft defense has been activated.

In addition to the region of the capital, an air alert was also announced in a number of other regions, including Odesa, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and others.

Yesterday, Russia accused Ukraine of an attempt on the life of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said two drones were downed on Tuesday over the Kremlin, and senior Russian officials called for the liquidation of power in Kyiv and the physical elimination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky himself denied the Kremlin's claims of an assassination attempt against Putin.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said Russia will respond to Ukraine's terrorist attack on the Kremlin when it deems necessary. He stressed that the statements of officials in Washington about the situation were "strikingly cynical and absurd".

Meanwhile, the United States announced another aid package for the Ukrainian army. It includes various anti-tank systems, trucks, missiles for the HIMARS rocket launcher systems and has a total cost of 300 million dollars.

On Twitter, President Zelensky wrote that the new package of American military aid announced by Washington is bringing the victory of Ukraine closer.

The Ukrainian president is expected to speak in The Hague later today. The invitation from the Dutch foreign ministry said the president would deliver a speech titled "There can be no peace without justice for Ukraine." The visit comes after Zelensky's visit to Helsinki.

He is expected to visit the International Criminal Court and meet Prime Minister Mark Rutte and MPs.

The Russian military sent 15 Shahed drones to Odesa, most of them were destroyed

The Russian military sent 15 Shahed kamikaze drones to the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa last night. According to the data of the "South" operational command, a large part of them were destroyed by the air defense forces and the mobile fire groups.

Earlier, the Ukrainian agency UNIAN reported that an air alert was declared in a number of regions of Ukraine. Explosions were heard in the capital Kyiv. However, the drones and missiles sent to the city were destroyed by the anti-aircraft defense.

A drone attack caused a fire at an oil refinery in Russia

A drone attack has caused a fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia. The accident happened near the port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea. The district governor announced that the fire has already been contained.

However, there is no information about the damage. This is another drone attack for which Moscow blames Kyiv.

Yesterday, an oil depot caught fire near the Crimean bridge. Moscow also claimed to have shot down two drones targeting Putin's residence and accused Ukraine of an attempted terrorist attack.

Kyiv denied having anything to do with what happened. The Ukrainian authorities, however, do not rule out that the drone attacks could become a pretext for a large-scale terrorist attack by Moscow on Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky: We did not attack the Kremlin or Putin, we defend our villages and cities

In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities of the country there were explosions in the early hours of the day, officials reported. There were explosions in the southern city of Zaporizhia, air defense was activated. Local media also report explosions in the Black Sea port of Odesa.

According to the government in Kyiv, an air alert has been declared for most of the eastern half of the country. At least 21 people were killed and nearly 50 wounded during Russian shelling in the Kherson region, the Ukrainian president announced last night. Volodymyr Zelensky also emphasized that his country did not attack Moscow or the Russian president. "We are not attacking Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We protect our villages and towns. We don't have enough weapons, so we don't use them anywhere else. For us, they are in short supply, we cannot waste them. And we have not attacked Putin - we leave that to the tribunal", the Ukrainian head of state pointed out.

Russia accused Ukraine of unsuccessfully trying to kill Vladimir Putin in a drone attack on the Kremlin and threatened retaliation.

Washington announced that it could not confirm the credibility of the Russian accusations. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that he would not trust information coming from the Kremlin. “I have seen the reports, but I cannot confirm them in any way. We just don't know. Second, I would take anything coming from the Kremlin with a very large amount of skepticism. Let's see what the facts are. It's really hard to comment or speculate on this without knowing what the facts are. More generally, when it comes to Ukraine, it is under daily attack, not only its incredibly brave military forces, but also by its citizens," he said.

Medvedev: No option left other than elimination of Zelensky

After the drone attack on the Kremlin residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, by Ukraine, Moscow is left with no option other than the physical elimination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "and his clique," deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev said on his Telegram channel, according to TASS News Agency.

On his Telegram channel, Medvedev said, "After today's terrorist attack, there are no options left other than the physical elimination of Zelensky and his clique." According to Medvedev, Zelensky "is not even needed for signing an instrument of unconditional surrender."

"Hitler, as is known, did not sign it either. There will always be some substitute," Medvedev wrote, reported TASS News Agency.

Russia alleged that there were attempts by Ukraine to assassinate President Putin, saying it was a "terrorist attack" while claiming it shot down drones over the residence of Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not get injured in the overnight drone attacks on Kremlin and Russia considers the drone attacks, an attempt on President's life, President's press service announced on Wednesday, Russia Today reported.

According to Putin's staff, Ukraine launched two drone attacks overnight with the intention of hitting his apartment in the Kremlin.

"The head of State was not in Kremlin at the time of Ukrainian UAV attack on Tuesday night," Kremlin's Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

He also said that President Putin is currently working from his residence near Moscow and that his schedule remains unchanged.

The drones were destroyed using electronic warfare measures and caused no casualties or damage, the press service added.

According to a report in Russia Today, the message said, "As a result of this terrorist act, the President of the Russian Federation was not injured. His work schedule has not changed, it continues as usual."

The Kremlin also noted that the Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures as it sees fit, reported Russia Today.

Peskov added that the incident won't interfere with the Victory Day parade that is scheduled to take place on May 9 on Red Square.

The Kremlin previously reported that the two UAVs had targeted the Kremlin, but both were shot down before they could pose any damage, according to Russia Today.

Prior to being shot down, both of the UAVs that had targeted the Kremlin, according to the Kremlin, were shot down.

Yevgeny Prigozhin: The Ukrainian counter-offensive has begun, I expect its active phase within days

The counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is already underway, Russian businessman and owner of PMC "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio commentary for his channel "Prigozhin's Press Service". The formal reason for the comment was a question from the edition "Nakune.ru" about the fact that, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are planning to advance to the front in the coming weeks.

"I think that the offensive of the Ukrainian army has basically already started. We see the highest activity of the enemy aviation, we see the highest activity along the perimeter and inside our front. Moreover, if we control our front inside, then the perimeter, unfortunately, the situation looks, let's put it this way: not in the best way," Putin's Chef says in his statement.

"And that is why our flanks - on the question of how reliable they are, I will remain silent for the time being out of politeness. The enemy has also become more active beyond the historical borders of Ukraine and the territory of the Russian Federation, we see the situation in different areas of ours - trains, drones, etc. That's why I think: Everything has already started! When will it go into an active phase? I think that soon, maybe in the next few days," adds Prigozhin.

Also today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces as recent. Zelensky said that the Ukrainian army will soon go on the offensive, and then he hopes to receive aircraft from the partners. "Why am I confident that we will have planes, because soon there will be offensive actions and after them, I am sure, we will be given planes. We wished it were the other way around, but it is the way it is," Zelensky said at a press conference during his unannounced visit to Finland for the delivery of aircraft from Denmark.

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