New York [US], June 1: The UN condemns all attacks on civilians, while Russia accuses the US of encouraging Ukraine to use drones to attack Moscow, which Washington denies.
The Kyiv Independent news website on May 31 quoted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric as condemning all attacks on civilians and civilian structures. The statement came after the Russian Defense Ministry accused the Ukrainian military of using eight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack Moscow at dawn on May 30.
"Of course, we condemn any attack on civilians and civilian structures anywhere. But I think it's important to point out that there are no comparisons between recent attacks. in Moscow with the massive ambush that we continue to see in the cities of Ukraine," he told a news conference.
Russia's accusations
The Russian side said that it shot down 5 UAVs and caused the impact to cause 3 others to deviate from the target, in the attack, 2 people were injured. That same morning, Russia attacked Kyiv with a drone in its 17th wave of attacks this month, killing one person and injuring 13, according to Ukrainian officials.
RT radio on May 31 quoted Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov as saying that Washington's statements after the drone attack on Moscow "sounds like an encouragement to the Ukrainians". "No one believes the American slogans about not supporting Ukraine's attacks on Russian territory," he said. According to the diplomat, the aim of the drone strike was to "sow fear among the Russians" and affect confidence in the government.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the attack as an act of terrorism, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Western claims that weapons sent to Ukraine must not be used to attack Russian territory as " a lie," according to TASS.
In the move against Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian military carried out raids on "decision centers involved in plotting terrorist attacks", and said that "terrorist activities were carried out". under the direct guidance of unspecified Western intelligence agencies". According to RT, President Putin said that the Russian side attacked the headquarters of the General Department of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. Kyiv has not yet commented on this information.
In another move, the Russian Interior Ministry has just issued an arrest warrant for Army Commander-in-Chief ValeriyZaluzhnyi and Army Commander OleksandrSyrskyi of Ukraine. Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar denied the arrest, saying it was a failed attempt by Moscow to exert psychological pressure.
The US and Ukraine denied it
According to Reuters, adviser MykhailoPodolyak to Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky confirmed that Kyiv had "no direct involvement" in the drone attack on Moscow. On the US side, a National Security Council spokesman commented on CNN that "generally, we do not support attacks inside Russia". A US State Department spokesman also confirmed this view.
"We have focused on providing the equipment and training necessary for Ukraine to regain its territorial sovereignty," the spokesman said. The US government said it was gathering relevant information and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said succinctly that "we do not support attacks inside Russia".
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that Ukraine "has a legal right to defend within its borders, but also the right to move forces away from the border to undermine Russia's ability to send forces into Ukraine." . Opposing the statement, according to Reuters, Russian Security Council Vice Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said that any British official promoting hostilities in Ukraine could be considered a legitimate military target.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper