‘No Options Left but to Eliminate Zelensky’: Top Russian Official after Drone ‘Attack’ on Putin

After Ukraine’s alleged drone attack on the Kremlin, Russia’s Deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow is left with no options other than the “physical elimination” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“After today’s terrorist attack, there are no options left other than the physical elimination of Zelensky and his clique,” Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel, according to Tass.

Moscow calls it ‘terrorist act’

This warning comes after Russia claimed that it thwarted a drone attack by Ukraine on the Kremlin early Wednesday, describing it as an unsuccessful assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin and vowing to retaliate for what it called a “terrorist” act.

However, the Ukrainian President denied the allegation, stating that Ukraine did not attack Putin or Moscow.

The alleged attack occurred overnight, according to Russian authorities, but there was no independent verification of the incident, and no evidence was presented to support it.

One video, posted on a local Moscow news Telegram channel overnight, showed smoke rising over the buildings across the river from the Kremlin.

Another video on social media showed a drone exploding in a flash of fire above the roof of the Senate Palace in the Kremlin, near a flagpole flying the Russian tricolor.

Where was Putin when attack happened

Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time but was at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, according to Dmitry Peskov, his spokesman, who spoke to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti.

According to the Kremlin, the Russian military and security forces intercepted the drones before they could cause any harm, and no injuries were reported.

The official website of the Kremlin mentioned that debris from the drones fell on the Kremlin grounds but did not cause any damage.

What did US and UN Say

The United States was “unable to confirm the authenticity” of Russia’s claim, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also cast doubt on the veracity of the report. “I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt,”  Blinken said at an event in Washington.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that the United Nations is not in a position to confirm these reports.  “We strongly reiterate our call on all concerned to refrain from any rhetoric or action that could further escalate the conflict,” Haq said.

The purported drone attack would be a significant escalation in the 14-month conflict, with Ukraine taking the war to the heart of Russian power.

(With agency inputs)

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