Following a series of claims and counterclaims regarding Ukraine drones shot down by Russia over the Kremlin. The Ukrainian air force claimed on Thursday that it downed its own drone over Kyiv after the device lost control. The drone was shot down near the president’s office due to a technical fault.
The explosion reverberated for 15 to 20 minutes as the air defence sought to eliminate the drone near the president’s office. Initially, Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said it was “an action against the enemy drone.” However, the air force later admitted that they made several attempts to destroy the drone in order to avoid “undesirable circumstances.”
“At about 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), a Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial drone lost control during a scheduled flight in the Kyiv region. The target was destroyed!” the air force stated.
AP says the Kremlin claimed to have shot down two Ukrainian drones accused Kyiv of attempting to murder Russian President.
“Two unmanned vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin… the devices were deactivated,” the Kremlin stated in a statement. Labelling the operation “a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the Russian Federation’s President.”
The Kremlin also states that President Vladimir Putin was safe and will continue to work as usual. According to the Associated Press, the purported attack was labelled a “terrorist act” by the Kremlin. Which claimed that Russian security personnel stopped the drones before they could hit.
In a statement released by Russian state-run news outlets, it reported that there were no injuries. The Kremlin went on to state that President Putin was OK and that he was going about his business as normal.