Russia on Friday accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of making "irresponsible" threats after he said Moscow's top officials should check for bomb shelters near the Kremlin if the country does not stop its war in Ukraine.
In an interview with U.S. media outlet Axios, Zelensky said Russian officials "have to know where their bomb shelters are," adding: "If they will not stop the war, they will need it in any case."
Russia earlier this month struck the Ukrainian government complex in Kyiv for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year conflict as it launched its biggest aerial barrage on Ukraine.
"Zelensky is clearly continuing his desperate efforts. That's why he's issuing threats left and right, which is quite irresponsible," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, including from AFP, at a briefing.
U.S. and European backing for Ukraine's ability to strike deep inside Russia has often wavered, with Washington and European capitals nervous of provoking Moscow into an expanded conflict.
However, Ukraine is now frequently targeting Russian energy facilities, repeatedly striking notably its refineries, and Zelensky said U.S. President Donald Trump had given him the green light to continue.
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