Days before the yearly World War II Victory Day celebration, two drones burst above the Kremlin, prompting Moscow to announce increased security. Zelenskyy, meantime, paid The Hague a highly symbolic visit. DW is up to date.

As it gets ready to stage its yearly military parade in the capital to commemorate Victory Day or the end of World War II, Russia increased security in Moscow on Thursday.

On May 9, Victory Day honours the Soviet Union’s contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that “everything will be strengthened” with regards to security measures.

According to Peskov, “everything has already been strengthened in preparation for the Victory Day parade.”

In Moscow’s Red Square, festivities for the most significant holiday in Russia are held. Vladimir Putin was working in his Kremlin office, according to Peskov on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Russia claimed that Ukraine sent drones that Russian forces intercepted in an effort to assassinate the Russian president.

John Kirby, the national security spokesman for the White House, refuted Russian claims that the US was responsible for the drone assault on Thursday, calling them untrue.

An important member of the Biden administration is also investigating if Kiev directed the drone attacks on the Kremlin.

According to RIA, the mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, has banned the use of drones in the Russian capital unless they are being utilised by the authorities.

The prohibition was announced by Sobyanin without an explanation and came just before word of the purported drone explosions above the Kremlin spread.

Kyiv’s disavowal of drone explosions is ‘absolutely ridiculous,’ according to the Kremlin
The Kremlin deemed it “absolutely ridiculous” that Kiev and Washington would attempt to downplay Wednesday’s explosions above the presidential palace.

The Kremlin said that Ukraine staged a drone attack in an effort to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the attack was stopped by Russian forces.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, said that Kyiv was unrelated to the tragedy.

Zelenskyy visits The Hague-based ICC

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague about peace and justice in the country’s ongoing conflict.

The ICC issued an international arrest order for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March for alleged war crimes related to the expulsion of Ukrainian children, thus Zelenskyy’s visit is a very symbolic one.

Russia disputes the accusations and asserts that the ICC lacks jurisdiction.

Judge Piotr Hofmanski, who serves as the court’s president, welcomed Zelenskyy.

The journey follows Zelenskyy’s Wednesday visit to Finland, where he met with leaders from the Nordic region.

Zelenskyy told reporters in Helsinki, “I think this year will be decisive for us, for Europe, for Ukraine, decisive for victory.

After Russian shelling of Kherson, the death toll increases

According to local authorities, 23 people have died as a result of the artillery attack on Kherson on Wednesday.

According to governor Oleksandr Prokudin, a home, a grocery store, a petrol station and a train station were all struck by Russian shells.

“The places where we reside are the enemy’s targets. Our life and the lives of our kids are their targets, he continued.

According to Prokudin, 46 additional persons had been injured.

Wednesday’s attacks on Kherson were denounced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also denounced “the bloody trail that Russia leaves behind with its shells.”

According to Ukraine, 18 out of 24 Russian drones were destroyed.

According to the Ukrainian air force, Ukraine has shot down 18 of the 24 kamikaze drones that Russia used in a pre-dawn raid on Thursday.

The city’s administration declared in a statement that all missiles and drones that had been aiming at Kyiv for the third time had been destroyed.

The statement claimed, “The Russians have attacked Kyiv using Shahed loitering munitions and missiles, probably of the ballistic type.”

A university compound was hit by three of the 15 drones that were fired towards the coastal city of Odesa, according to the air defence officials.

The southern military command said that there were no casualties.

Attack by Drone Strikes Russian Oil Refinery

On Thursday, Russian firefighters put out a fire at an oil refinery.

According to reports, a drone attack caused the fire to start at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, igniting tanks holding oil products.

A second tumultuous night for our emergency services, stated Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Krasnodar, on Telegram. There were no casualties, he continued.

The incident occurred just days after an attack on a Russian oil station in Crimea and shortly after Russia reported a drone attack on the Kremlin. Rarely does Ukraine take responsibility for attacks in Crimea or Russia.

Kyiv has heard explosions.

Early on Thursday morning, loud explosions were audible throughout Kiev.

According to the regional military administration’s Telegram post, “Air defences are operational in the Kyiv region.”

Zaporizhzhia and Odesa explosions were also reported by local media.

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