US rejects allegations of orchestrating Moscow drone strike

The United States has denied allegations made by Russia that it was behind a drone attack on the Kremlin that aimed to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. 

One day after accusing Ukraine of carrying out the alleged attack, Putin's spokesman suggested that it was done with the support of Washington.

However, the US National Security spokesman dismissed these claims as "ludicrous". Ukraine has denied any involvement in the incident, and Putin was not present in the building at the time of the alleged attack. 

Despite ongoing Russian attacks, there has been no sign of escalation from Moscow's side. On Sunday evening, a drone was shot down over the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, near the presidential office.

The alleged attack on the Kremlin occurred early on Wednesday, with footage appearing on social media showing smoke rising over the complex. According to the Kremlin, a small explosion took place above the site's Senate building, with two men appearing to have climbed up the dome. On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that the US was "undoubtedly" behind the attack, but failed to provide any evidence. 

In response, the US official John Kirby denied any involvement, stating that the US had no role in the incident and had not encouraged or enabled Ukraine to strike outside its borders.

Ukraine has claimed that the alleged attack was a false flag operation by Moscow. However, many argue that Russia would have little interest in staging an attack that made the Kremlin look vulnerable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in the Netherlands, calling for the creation of a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its "crimes of aggression".

He accused Putin of "criminal actions in the capital of international law", citing alleged war crimes by Russia, including "millions" of strikes in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and those killed during the occupation of Bucha.

The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, including the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. However, it has no mandate to prosecute the crime of aggression.