MOSCOW: Russia said Wednesday it had shot down two drones aimed at Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Kremlin in what it called a ‘terrorist’ assassination attempt against the Russian president, reports AFP.
“Two unmanned vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin... the devices were put out of action,” the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that this had happened during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.
It said the operation was “a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was working at his residence near Moscow on Wednesday and would still take part in a scheduled WWII Victory Day parade on Red Square next week as planned.
Moscow’s mayor announced a ban on unauthorised drone flights over the Russian capital.
In a statement, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said drone flights would be prohibited unless a special permit had been obtained from “government authorities”.
The Kremlin news came as Ukraine prepared for a fresh offensive against Russian troops that has been months in planning.
Kherson, which was re-taken by Ukrainian troops in November, will be under curfew from Friday evening until Monday morning.
Regional officials said this was "for law enforcement officers to do their job", but similar long curfews have also been used in the past for troop and arms movements.
