By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

The Alleged Drone Attack

Russia "likely staged" the alleged drone strike on the Kremlin, according to the Insitute for the Study of War (ISW). 

Moscow claimed on Wednesday it foiled a Ukrainian assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin, promising retaliation over the supposed "terrorist attack".

Ukraine denied any involvement. 

However, the US-based think-tank claimed Russia is behind the incident, calling it an attempt to "bring the war home to a Russian audience and set the conditions for a wider societal mobilization". 

"Several indicators suggest that the strike was internally conducted and purposefully staged," it wrote in a briefing published on Thursday. 

Footage circulating on social media shows what appears to be a drone exploding near a flagpole on top of the Kremlin Senate Palace, with two unidentified people climbing on top of the building. 

Russia said Putin was unharmed as he was not there at the alleged assassination attempt. 

Other security experts have cast doubts on Moscow's story, with some suggesting it may have been staged for international viewers. They questioned why Russia would want its people to know it could not intercept a small drone until the very last minute. 

"I have some serious question[s]," said Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bild. "Is it realistic - if the drone was from far away - that no air defense could have intervened until right above the Kremlin?"

In its briefing, the ISW noted that Russia has recently beefed up its domestic air defenses, including over Moscow. 

"It is therefore extremely unlikely that two drones could have penetrated multiple layers of air defense and detonated or been shot down just over the heart of the Kremlin in a way that provided spectacular imagery caught nicely on camera," it wrote. 

They added that the Kremlin's "immediate, coherent, and coordinated response that the attack was internally prepared in such a way that its intended political effects outweigh its embarrassment."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who denied responsibility for any attack on Putin or Moscow, landed in the Netherlands and is expected to deliver an address at The Hague, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported.

"We are fighting on our territory; we are defending our villages and our cities", he said during a surprise visit to Finland. "We are not attacking Putin or Moscow. We don't have enough weapons for that."

The White House said it couldn't "confirm the authenticity" of reports by Russia that it foiled an overnight attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin.

Speaking at the White House Wednesday, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration is "aware of the reports but are unable to confirm the authenticity of them at this time."

"And so I don't want to get into speculation from here about what happened," she said.

Russian authorities said the attack occurred overnight but presented no other evidence supporting their claim. Nor did officials say why it took more than 12 hours to report the incident.

 

Ukrainian Officials Also Deny Involvement.

A close advisor to President Zelenskyy said, "Ukraine has nothing to do with drone attacks on the Kremlin." 

Mikhail Podolyak said the claims would provide a pretext for Russia "to justify massive strikes on Ukrainian cities, on the civilian population, on infrastructure facilities" in the coming days.

On Wednesday afternoon, some 16 people were killed in a massive Russian airstrike in the Ukrainian city of Kherson. 

The alleged attack prompted immediate calls in Russia from pro-Kremlin figures to carry out assassinations against senior leaders in Ukraine.

If true, the purported drone attack would significantly escalate the 14-month conflict, with Ukraine taking the war to the heart of Russian power.

Debris from the unmanned aerial vehicles fell on the grounds of the seat of Russia's president but caused no damage, a statement on the Kremlin's website said.

A video published overnight on a local Moscow news Telegram channel, filmed across the river from the Kremlin, appeared to show smoke rising over the buildings. 

Euronews could not verify the clip. 

According to the text accompanying the video, residents at a nearby apartment building reported hearing bangs and seeing smoke at around 2:30 am local time.

 

The 9 May Parade Will Go Ahead As Scheduled.

The Kremlin claimed the attack was planned to disrupt Victory Day, which Russia celebrates on 9 May to commemorate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Foreign dignitaries are expected to attend the Moscow event.

Shortly before the news about the alleged attack broke, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin issued a ban on drones in the Russian capital, except for those launched by authorities.

Sobyanin did not offer any explanation, saying it would prevent the "illegal use of drones that can hinder the work of law enforcement."

Elsewhere, Russia used Iranian-made drones during its third attack on Ukraine's capital city in six days.

Ukraine's Air Force Command said that explosions were heard in Kyiv and elsewhere during the night as Ukrainian air defenses shot down 21 of the Russian drones. 

No damage or casualties were reported.

 

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