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Drones crash into Kremlin, Russia accuses Ukraine of attempted Putin's assassination

Ukraine claims that this could be a false flag attack to justify a Russian escalation. “Russia is preparing a large-scale terrorist attack” warned the advisor to the Ukrainian presidency

The Kremlin announced on Wednesday that its HQ had been targeted for the first time in the war unleashed against Ukraine. At least two drones reportedly attempted to strike the residence of President Vladimir Putin but were shot down by the residential complex's anti-aircraft defenses, it was reported by the presidential press service.

Drones crash into Kremlin, Russia accuses Ukraine of attempted Putin's assassination

However, they missed their target and crashed within the complex “without causing casualties or material damage,” but did start a fire on one of the domes of the palace.

KREMLIN DRONE ATTACK

- Russia says two Ukrainian drones attacked Kremlin overnight

- Drones downed with no victims or material damage to the Kremlin

- Moscow says it was a terrorist attack and attempt on Putin's life

- Russia says it reserves right to respond when and how it… pic.twitter.com/loZA6c3Fvd

— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) May 3, 2023

“The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it deems appropriate,” Moscow has warned Kyiv. Ukraine, for its part, fears “a large-scale terrorist attack” with this incident as an excuse.

The Russian presidency emphasized that it considered these actions a terrorist plan and an attempted assassination of the president on the eve of Victory Day and the parade on May 9th, although it did not specify whether Putin was in the Moscow residence at the time.

The Russian president's usual residence is outside Moscow, at the Novo-Ogaryovo Palace, where he met with the governor of Nizhny Novgorod on Wednesday and held several meetings in St. Petersburg on Tuesday. “His work schedule has not changed and continues as usual,” the Kremlin statement adds. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that this attack would not affect the celebration of the Victory Day parade or Putin's presence at the event.

Ukraine claims that this could be a false flag attack to justify a Russian escalation. “Russia is preparing a large-scale terrorist attack. First, it arrests a large sabotage group in Crimea and then shows drones over the Kremlin,” warned the advisor to the Ukrainian presidency, Mijailo Podoliak.

Hours before the revelation of the alleged Ukrainian attack on the Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) reported that it had detained a suspected commando team made up of Ukrainians and Russians whose aim was to kill the governor imposed by Moscow in Crimea, Sergei Aksionov. The authorities also released a video in which one of the alleged members confessed that the attack had been orchestrated by the deputy head of the Ukrainian president's office, Roman Mashovets.

“It's guerrilla activity by local resistance forces. Drones can be bought at any military store, and the loss of control over the country by Putin's clan is evident,” Podoliak said, adding that “Ukraine is waging an exclusively defensive war and does not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation. Why? This does not solve any military problems but gives Russia reasons to justify its attacks on civilians.”

The incident occurred, according to the Russian government, during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, and Moscow announced the alleged attack after 2 p.m. local time. It has not been possible to confirm the authenticity of the numerous videos of the incident published after the Kremlin's announcement. In December, two drone attacks against several air bases located in the heart of Russia were successful, some more than 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.