An unexploded WWII bomb was found in the grounds of the Kremlin in Moscow on Thursday, Sergei Khlebnikov, the commandant of the Kremlin, told Russian news agency TASS.
The bomb was discovered during construction works, said Khlebnikov, adding it had been taken out of the Kremlin complex and “will be liquidated.”
A spokesman for Vladimir Putin said the incident did not affect the president’s work schedule.
The Kremlin was targeted by German bombers eight times during WWII. The first bombing took place on the night of July 22, 1941, followed by a high-explosive bomb weighing 250 kg that broke through the roof of the Grand Kremlin Palace and the ceiling of the St. George Hall, but which did not explode.
The most devastating raid was the bombing on the night of August 12, 1941, when a one-tonne bomb severely damaged the eastern part of the Arsenal building. In the period of 1941-1942, 94 people died or went missing and 164 were injured as a result of bombings. The last bombing took place on March 29, 1942, and made no casualties.