Russia says Ukraine attacked Kremlin with drones in failed bid to kill ...

Russia is accusing Ukraine of attacking the Kremlin with drones in a failed bid to assassinate President Vladimir Putin — a claim Ukraine has denied.

Key points:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv had nothing to do with the incidentMoscow says it "reserves the right to take retaliatory measures", prompting fears it will escalate its actions in Ukraine

Local media reports say Vladimir Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time of the alleged attack

The Kremlin said two drones were used in the alleged attack on Mr Putin's residence in the Kremlin citadel on Wednesday, but they were disabled by electronic defences.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had nothing to do with the reported incident.

"We don't attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We're defending our villages and cities," Mr Zelenskyy told a press conference during a visit to Finland.

The Kremlin said Mr Putin was not in the building at the time and was unharmed, but Russia reserved the right to retaliate — a comment that suggested Moscow might use the alleged incident to justify an escalation of its 14-month-old war with Ukraine.

The Kremlin says two drones have been used in an attack on Vladimir Putin's residence.(AP: Sergei Bobylev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo)

"Two unmanned aerial vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin," the Kremlin said in a statement.

"As a result of timely actions taken by the military and special services with the use of radar warfare systems, the devices were put out of action.

"We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president's life, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned.

"The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit."

Ukraine denies involvement attack

Mr Zelenskyy denied any role in the alleged drone attack while he was making an unannounced visit to Helsinki for talks with the leaders of five Nordic countries.

He said Ukraine did not have the weapons to spare for such an attack, adding: "We didn't attack Putin. We leave it to tribunal."

And Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also said Kyiv had nothing to do with any drone attack on the Kremlin, saying such an action would achieve nothing on the battlefield and instead only provoke Russia to take more radical action.

Local media say Vladimir Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time of the incident.(Reuters: Maxim Shemetov/File)

Mr Podolyak said such claims could provide a pretext for Russia "to justify massive strikes on Ukrainian cities, on the civilian population, on infrastructure facilities".

In comments sent to Reuters, he said the allegation could indicate Moscow was preparing for a large-scale "terrorist" attack against Ukraine in the coming days.

"Of course, Ukraine has nothing to do with drone attacks on the Kremlin. We do not attack the Kremlin because, first of all, it does not resolve any military tasks," Mr Podolyak said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he could not validate Russia's accusation and would take any comments coming from the Kremlin with a "very large shaker of salt".

Asked if the United States would criticise Ukraine if it decided on its own to strike back in Russian territory, Mr Blinken said those were decisions for Ukraine to make about how to defend itself.

The White House also said on Wednesday it was aware of the reports from Russia but could not authenticate or confirm the allegations.

"We are aware of the reports but are unable to confirm the … authenticity of them at this time," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia's law-enforcement agencies, posted a video showing a flying object approaching the dome of the Kremlin Senate building overlooking Red Square and exploding in an intense burst of light just before reaching it.

Reuters could not immediately verify the video's authenticity.

Russia said fragments of the drones had been scattered on the territory of the Kremlin but there were no casualties or material damage.

RIA news agency said Mr Putin had not been in the Kremlin at the time, and was instead working on Wednesday at his Novo Ogaryovo residence outside of Moscow.

Reuters