Former Russian Convicts Claim Ukraine Attempted to Assassinate Putin in Drone Attack on Kremlin

Two former Russian convicts have made claims that Ukraine attempted to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack on the Kremlin. The claims were made in video interviews with Gulagu.net, a human rights organization targeting corruption and torture in Russia.

Azamat Uldarov and Alexey Savichev, who were both pardoned by Russian presidential decrees last year, according to Gulagu.net, described their actions in Ukraine during Russia’s invasion. CNN has obtained Russian penal documents showing they were released on presidential pardon in September and August of 2022.

The two men also claimed to have been commanders of the Wagner Group, a private military contractor, and said they killed children and civilians during their time in Ukraine.

Russia has responded to the claims with fury, demanding retaliation from nationalists in Moscow. However, Ukraine has denied the accusations and two Russian officials have expressed skepticism that a drone could get that close to the Kremlin given the fact that Russia has so many air defense systems.

At this time, it is unclear whether the claims made by Uldarov and Savichev are true. CNN is unable to independently verify their identities or the accuracy of their statements.