kyiv says it shot down 18 out of 24 drones sent by Russia overnight

What there is to know

Drones versus drones. Ukraine claimed on Thursday, May 4, to have shot down 18 out of 24 drones sent by Russia overnight, the day after Moscow accused Kiev of having launched a drone attack on the Kremlin. Follow our live.

New attacks against refineries in Russia. Two drones hit oil refineries in southwestern Russia, near Ukraine. For almost a week, a series of drone attacks and two railway sabotages have hit Russian regions close to Ukraine and annexed Crimea, a few days before the May 9 military celebrations, essential in the Kremlin’s agenda. .

Russia accuses Ukraine of attempting to attack the Kremlin. On Wednesday, Russia claimed to have shot down two drones that targeted the Kremlin and announced that it was opening a terrorism investigation. Volodymyr Zelensky denied in the evening any involvement of kyiv. For his part, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for “eliminate” Ukrainian President in retaliation for this alleged attack.

Catherine Colonna judges this attempted attack as a “strange episode” And “mysterious. The French Minister of Foreign Affairs estimated Thursday on France Inter that for the time being “several hypotheses” exist to explain this attempted attack which is “rather incomprehensible in normal situations”. She recalled that “the Ukrainians, as of yesterday, officially declared that they had nothing to do with this event which remains unexplained”.

Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening for a surprise visit. According to the Dutch press agency ANP, he must visit the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin in March. The Ukrainian president is expected to deliver a speech entitled “No peace without justice for Ukraine” in the same city on the same day. A meeting with Dutch MPs is scheduled as well as an interview with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

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