US masterminded drone attack on Kremlin: Russia

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Russia, on Thursday, accused the US of masterminding a drone attack on the Kremlin, pointing out that sabotage attacks by Ukraine behind Russian lines had reached "unprecedented momentum".

On Wednesday, the Kremlin said that Kiev attempted to strike the Kremlin residence of the Russian President with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Tuesday night -- a charge which Kiev has denied.

"Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kiev, but in Washington," Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a briefing, adding that "Kiev only does what it is told to do."

"Washington should understand clearly that we know this," he stressed.

Peskov slammed the attempts by Kiev and Washington to disown the attempted drone attack on the Kremlin as ridiculous.

The Kremlin Spokesperson further confirmed that he will not comment on whether Moscow shares the opinion of Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev on the need to "eliminate" Kiev leadership.

Medvedev wrote on Telegram that Russia has no other options but to "eliminate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy" after the recent drone attack on the Kremlin residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I will leave this question without comment," Peskov said, commenting on a relevant question.

The Russian official said no special address by Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected in light of the drone attack on the Kremlin.

"There are no plans for any special address [by Putin]," he told reporters.

Peskov refused to provide any details regarding Russia's response to the attack on the presidential residence, pointing out that only thoughtful steps that correspond to the interests of the country can be taken.

"I could not [tell about the Kremlin's response options]. Naturally, I cannot give you any details here. In any case, we can only talk about thoughtful, balanced steps that correspond to the interests of our country," the Kremlin Spokesperson said.

The Russian official confirmed that the Victory Day military parade will be held on Red Square on May 9 and Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech as usual.

"A regular parade is being prepared ... The president will deliver a speech, as is usually the case," he affirmed.

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Attack on Kremlin subject to thorough, prompt investigation

In the same context, Peskov said the attack on the Kremlin is subject to a thorough and prompt investigation, stressing that the relevant departments are carrying out this work.

"Of course, what happened is subject to a very thorough, prompt investigation. You know that the [Russian] Investigative Committee, the necessary departments are engaged in all this," he made clear.

The Spokesperson highlighted that the situation in the Kremlin is normal and that work continues, noting that two sections of the roof that were damaged from the UAVs will be fixed in the next several days.

"Our special services will make decisions in the current conditions, whether it is worth filming the roof [of the Kremlin that was damaged] up close, considering the risks," he added.

Commenting on Putin's reaction to the attempted drone attack, Peskov said the Russian President is always calm in difficult and extreme situations and clearly gives commands.

"The president always in such difficult, extreme situations remains calm, collected, clear in his assessments, in the commands that he gives out, so nothing new has happened in this regard," the Kremlin Spokesperson affirmed.

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Moscow received no detailed plans from Vatican on settlement in Ukraine

Elsewhere, Peskov said Moscow knows that the Pope is constantly thinking about peace, but the Kremlin is not aware of any detailed plans of the Holy See to resolve the situation in Ukraine.

Later in the day, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Russia and Ukraine have been informed about the Vatican's peace initiative, and the details of the peace mission can be provided by the Pope himself.

At the same time, Parolin clarified that the mission has yet to be carried out, but its implementation has not yet been decided.

"We know that the Pope is constantly thinking about peace, and we know that the Pope is thinking about how to end this conflict. But we are not aware of any detailed plans that were proposed by the Vatican in this context," Peskov said.

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