Ukraine's Zelensky denies assassination attempt on Putin
Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of an assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin using drones targeted at the Kremlin, which Ukrainian officials have denied and decried as pretext for a "large-scale terrorist attack" from Russian forces.
The claims come as Russia reportedly looks to be preparing for a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive in the southern Russian-occupied regions, and as the West watches Russia for any actions around Victory Day on May 9.
What we know about the anticipated counteroffensive: Satellite imagery reviewed by CNN and other news organizations shows hundreds of miles of Russian defenses — including anti-tank ditches, obstacles, minefields and trenches — that have been built up in parts of southern Ukraine.
Satellite imagery also shows a large Russian base in northern Crimea that in February had been full of equipment, including artillery and tanks was much emptier in late March and almost completely vacated by late April. It’s unclear where the equipment went, but it's likely it was sent north to reinforce Russian defensive lines.
Ukraine has been largely mum on specific dates for launching the spring counteroffensive, with some officials saying that it's possibly been happening already.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters in a video posted Saturday that the counteroffensive will happen, but he was "not ready to say in detail when it will happen and how," citing the need for "certain weapons."
On Wednesday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Moscow’s claims about the alleged drone strike were an attempt at taking control of the narrative ahead of a counteroffensive.
"Russia without a doubt is very afraid of Ukraine starting an offensive on the front line and is trying to seize the initiative, distract the attention and create distractions of a catastrophic nature," he said. "So, Russian statements on such staged operations need to be taken as an attempt to create pretext for a large-scale terrorist attack in Ukraine."
What we know about Victory Day: May 9 marks Victory Day, when parades and marches are held in Russia to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. Speculation has grown in recent weeks that it could end up exposing the number of fallen Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Leaders of multiple regions in Russia have scaled back or canceled some celebrations, citing lack of military equipment to display and potential security risks.
Serhiy Nykyforov, a spokesperson for Zelensky, said on Wednesday that the alleged strike is a "trick."
"What happened in Moscow is obviously about escalating the mood on the eve of May 9," he said.
CNN's Tim Lister, Seb Shukla, Victoria Butenko, Vasco Cotovio and Nathan Hodge contributed reporting to this post.
