Russia Says It Has No Choice But to 'Annihilate' Zelensky After Drone 'Terrorist Attack' Aimed at Putin
Meanwhile, in an exclusive report, the IAEA has issued a warning that Russian security forces placed high explosives near the Ukrainian nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia.
A top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be killed after the Kremlin claimed to have foiled a Ukrainian attack. Russian officials are reportedly labeling Zelensky and Ukraine the “Kyiv terrorist regime” and are ready to strike Zelensky’s home following reports that Ukraine attempted to assassinate Putin.
“After today's terrorist attack, there are no options left other than the physical elimination of Zelensky and his clique,” Kremlin Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president under Putin, wrote on social media.
The incident involved “two unmanned aerial vehicles” that were brought down “without causing any casualties or damage” at the Kremlin, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s office. Putin was not at the Kremlin at the time, Peskov told state media.
“We view these actions as a planned terrorist attack and an assassination attempt targeting the President,” Peskov’s office said. “Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures wherever and whenever it deems appropriate.”
Medvedev also said that Putin now has no choice other than to "annihilate" (or "eliminate") Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian officials denied conducting such an operation and suggested that the incident might have been perpetrated by Russian dissidents, if not staged by the government. Zelensky told reporters while traveling in Finland, “We don't attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities. We don't have enough weapons for this. That's why we don't use it anywhere [else]. For us, that is a deficit. We can't spend it. And we didn't attack Putin. We leave it to [a] tribunal."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed skepticism about the Russian allegations but maintained that they don’t know what really happened. “I can’t in any way validate them; we simply don’t know,” Blinken said during a Washington Post live event. “And it’s really hard to comment or speculate on this without really knowing what the facts are.”
Zelensky’s team suggested that Putin would use the incident to justify a retaliatory operation. “Russia is clearly preparing a large-scale terrorist attack,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podolyak tweeted. "Ukraine wages an exclusively defensive war and does not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation. What for? This does not solve any military issue.”
The reported drone strike follows upon Russia launching missile attacks on Kyiv in late April. Ukrainian defenses activated air defense systems and issued air raid alerts. Explosions were heard in the region, prompting the Kyiv regional administration to issue a message on Telegram stating, “Air defenses are at work!”
In another risky development, Great Britain has confirmed delivery of uranium depleted rounds to Ukraine. Deputy Minister of Defense James Gippy told MP Kenny MacAskill: “We sent thousands of Challenger 2 rounds to Ukraine, including armor-piercing rounds with depleted uranium. For reasons of operational security, we will not comment on the utilization rates of the supplied kits.”
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. condemned the escalation.
“In another reckless escalation, Britain has confirmed delivery of depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine,” RFK Jr. said. “DU munitions should be banned. They partially vaporize on impact, poisoning the environment with uranium dust that causes cancer and horrific birth defects.
Ukrainian officials denied conducting such an operation and suggested that the incident might have been perpetrated by Russian dissidents, if not staged by the government. Zelensky told reporters while traveling in Finland, “We don't attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities. We don't have enough weapons for this. That's why we don't use it anywhere [else]. For us, that is a deficit. We can't spend it. And we didn't attack Putin. We leave it to [a] tribunal."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed skepticism about the Russian allegations but maintained that they don’t know what really happened. “I can’t in any way validate them; we simply don’t know,” Blinken said during a Washington Post live event. “And it’s really hard to comment or speculate on this without really knowing what the facts are.”
Zelensky’s team suggested that Putin would use the incident to justify a retaliatory operation. “Russia is clearly preparing a large-scale terrorist attack,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podolyak tweeted. "Ukraine wages an exclusively defensive war and does not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation. What for? This does not solve any military issue.”
Meanwhile, in an exclusive report, the International Atomic Energy Administration has issued a warning that Russian security forces placed high explosives near the Ukrainian nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia.
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