Explosions above the Kremlin
Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting to assassinate Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, with a drone attack after a pair of explosions above the Kremlin early yesterday. Kyiv has denied any involvement and asserted that Russia had manufactured the incident to distract attention from Ukraine’s expected imminent counteroffensive and possibly to justify an escalation of its own attacks.
Video footage showed what appeared to be two drones detonating over the Kremlin 15 minutes apart, the first shortly before 2:30 a.m. Russia called it an unsuccessful “attempt on the life of the president” by Ukraine that was foiled by Russian “electronic warfare systems” but did not release any evidence of a Ukrainian link.
A drone attack at the deeply symbolic heart of Russian power would be an audacious move by Kyiv, with the potential for serious repercussions. There were no reports of serious damage, and the Russian government said that Putin had not been in the Kremlin at the time.
U.S. intelligence: Agencies were still trying to determine what happened, according to officials. But the U.S. has in the past voiced concern that Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil could provoke Moscow without having a direct effect on the battlefield.
In other news from the war:
9 killed in school shooting in Serbia
A seventh-grade student armed with pistols and Molotov cocktails shot and killed eight children and a security guard yesterday in an attack against his school in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. The boy will not be held criminally responsible for the killings because he is under the age of 14, according to the authorities in Belgrade.
The attack took place around 8:40 a.m. at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school, in the upscale neighborhood of Vracar. The student fatally shot seven girls and one boy using two handguns, which he had taken from his father. Six children and a teacher were also injured in the attack.
The attacker, whom officials said had “showed no remorse,” has been arrested and taken to a mental health clinic. The boy’s parents were also arrested.
Quotable: “Today is one of the most difficult days in the modern history of our country,” President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia said in a speech. “Unfortunately, Serbia is united in grief.”
In the U.S.: A gunman killed one person and wounded at least four others inside a medical office building in Midtown Atlanta. A suspect has been caught by the police.
Voters in England go to the polls
Local elections will be held across England today in a test of the popularity of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has stabilized Britain’s politics but whose Conservative Party trails the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls by double digits in the face of surging inflation, sluggish economic growth and labor unrest.
At stake are seats for around 8,000 representatives in lower tiers of government. Turnout will be far lower than at a general election, and parochial issues like planned…
2023-05-04 00:05:58
Link from www.nytimes.com