Russia has vowed to respond after claiming that Ukraine attempted to attack President Vladimir Putin’s residence, accusations that Kiev has dismissed as baseless and politically motivated.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said there would be consequences for the incident, according to the state news agency TASS.
"There will be a response for this," Zakharova was quoted as saying on Russia’s public broadcaster.
Moscow did not provide any evidence to support its claim that Ukraine targeted the Russian president’s residence.
Ukraine rejects claim
Ukraine rejected the accusation, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describing it as a lie intended to undermine ongoing peace negotiations.
Zelenskyy said the claim was designed to prepare the ground for Russian strikes on government buildings in Kiev.
"This is a lie," he said, adding that Moscow was seeking to justify further escalation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that targets had already been selected for retaliatory strikes by Russia’s armed forces.
"Such reckless actions will not go unanswered," Lavrov said, describing the alleged attack as an act of "state terrorism."
