MOSCOW. May 4 (Interfax) - The decision to strike the Kremlin with drones was made in Washington rather than in Kiev, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Indeed, the attempts of Kiev and Washington to deny that are absolutely ridiculous. We know well that a decision on such actions and terror attacks is made precisely in Washington rather than in Kiev. In turn, Kiev does as it is told. We know that, quite often, the targets are not designated by Kiev, they are designated by Washington, which relays the targets to Kiev so that Kiev executes the order. Every time Kiev has the right to choose means," Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
Journalists asked Peskov to comment on the statements made by Kiev and Washington after the terror attack, including the remark by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that comments coming from Moscow should be taken with a "large shaker of salt."
"Take it or not take it, do as you please. However, Washington must clearly understand that we know it," Peskov said.
Journalists asked Peskov whether the Kremlin believed that Washington was behind the drone attack.
"Absolutely. Decisions such as defining targets, choosing means and so on are all dictated to Kiev from Washington, and we are well aware of that," Peskov said.
He was asked what grounds the Kremlin had to accuse Ukraine of the attack.
"These grounds are information at our disposal, the information obtained by our security services," Peskov said.
The Russian authorities have published just a fraction of information about the attack they have, he said.
"It is crucial that Washington realizes that we know it and understands how dangerous such direct involvement in the conflict is," Peskov said.
He recalled the early 2000s, when, during the counterterrorism operation in Chechnya, Russian President Vladimir Putin "repeatedly appealed to the Western community and asked it not to hand-feed international terrorists" because they would eventually strike the West.
"They did not listen. Many countries in the world encountered monstrous manifestations of international terrorism. Many tragedies happened. I very much want people not to forget this story," Peskov said.
The Kremlin's press service said on Wednesday that "the Kiev regime attempted a strike on the Kremlin residence of the Russian president by unmanned aerial vehicles" in the early hours of May 3. Moscow said it reserved the right "to retaliate wherever and whenever it deems necessary".