According to international military experts, Russia probably staged two alleged Ukrainian drone strikes on the Kremlin itself. This was intended to bring the Russian public closer to the war and create the conditions for broader social mobilization, the Washington-based Institute for War Studies (ISW) wrote in its report on Wednesday (local time). Several indications indicated that the attack was carried out from within and staged in a targeted manner.
On Wednesday night, two drones that were flying towards the Kremlin compound crashed, the Russian Presidential Office said. Russia then accused Ukraine of an attempted attack on Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and threatened countermeasures. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the incident.
Above the heart of the Kremlin
According to the US think tank, Russian authorities have recently taken steps to bolster air defenses, including within Moscow itself to create air defense circles around the city. It is therefore extremely unlikely that two drones could have penetrated multiple air defense perimeters and been detonated or shot down directly over the heart of the Kremlin – in a way that could be easily captured on camera to provide spectacular images, according to the report .
According to the ISW, the immediate and coordinated Russian response to the incident suggests that the attack was prepared internally in such a way that its intended political impact overshadowed the embarrassment of hitting the Kremlin. With the action shortly before the “Day of Victory” on May 9, the war should be presented to the local audience as existential.
