Kremlin Dismisses Zelensky’s ‘Bomb Shelter’ Threats

The Kremlin on Sunday brushed aside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning that Russian officials should know the location of bomb shelters, saying Ukraine is losing the war and weakening its position at the negotiating table.

In an interview with Axios, Zelensky suggested that power centers such as the Kremlin could become targets, remarking that Russian officials “should know where the bomb shelters are.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television:
“Zelensky is trying to show Europeans—who are now earning their livelihoods as workers—how brave a soldier he is. Meanwhile, the reality on the front lines tells a very different story. With each passing day, Ukraine’s position continues to deteriorate. And with each passing day, its negotiating stance grows weaker.”

According to the pro-Ukraine DeepState mapping project, Russia controls 114,918 square kilometers (44,370 square miles), or about 19% of Ukraine’s territory, and has seized an additional 4,729 square kilometers over the past year.

When asked directly by Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin how Moscow would respond to any strike on the heart of Russian power, Peskov replied:
“It’s better not to talk about that at all.”

Russia previously accused Ukraine of attempting a drone strike on the Kremlin in May 2023. President Vladimir Putin was not inside the Kremlin at the time.