The Kremlin is accusing Ukraine of launching an assassination attempt against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last night, a small unmanned aerial vehicle flew over the Kremlin, exploding directly above the Senate Palace.
The explosion did very little damage, and no one was killed in the incident. President Putin was not at the Kremlin at the time of the alleged attack.
Russia, predictably, is blaming Ukraine for the strike, as noted in an official statement from the Kremlin:
Last night, the Kiev regime attempted a drone strike against the residence of the President of the Russian Federation at the Kremlin.
Two unmanned aerial vehicles targeted the Kremlin. Timely action by the military and special services involving radar systems enabled them to disable the devices. They crashed in the Kremlin grounds, scattering fragments without causing any casualties or damage.
We view these actions as a planned terrorist attack and an assassination attempt targeting the President, carried out ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade, where foreign guests are expected to be present, among others.
The President has not suffered in this terrorist attack. His working schedule remains unchanged and follows its ordinary course.
Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures wherever and whenever it deems appropriate.
Ukraine denies any involvement in the incident. Mikhaylo Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky, said the attack was likely the work of local resistance to Putin, and that Russia would use this as a pretext for a large-scale attack of its own. Serhii Nykyforov, spokesman for President Zelensky, told Ukrainska Pravda:
We have no information about the so-called overnight attack on the Kremlin. However, as President Zelenskyy has said on numerous occasions, Ukraine is deploying all of its forces and capabilities to liberate its own territories, rather than attack the territories of another country.
Some of the word choices of the terrorist state are particularly surprising. A terrorist attack is what happened in Dnipro and Uman, where entire sections of residential buildings collapsed, or the missile that targeted people at the Kramatorsk rail station, or one of countless other tragedies. What happened in Moscow is obviously an escalation ahead of 9 May. That’s the approach we expect of our adversaries.
While both sides are blaming each other for “terrorist” attacks, little is known at this time as to the source of last night’s drone strike.
As the attack did not cause any real damage, and considering the fact that Putin was not even at the Kremlin at the time of the explosion, some are suggesting it was a false-flag operation by Russia to gin up more domestic support for the war and to serve as a pretext for launching a massive “retaliatory” strike against Ukraine.
The idea that it was the work of Russian dissidents, as Podolyak suggested, also cannot be ruled out.
Whatever the source of the attack, the Putin government is certainly using this as a rallying cry for more action against Ukraine, which will likely take place in the very near future. This comes as Ukraine is expected to launch its much-anticipated “spring counteroffensive” in which it will attempt to regain some or all of the territory now held by Russia, up to and including Crimea.
UPDATE: Two drones exploded over the Kremlin last night, not one, as was originally reported. Little to no damage was done by either drone, and no one was killed.
