Kremlin Accuses Ukraine of Trying to Assassinate Putin With Drones

Two Ukrainian drones crashed into the Kremlin residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow early on Wednesday morning, the press service of the Russian government said.

"Two unmanned aerial vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin," it said in a statement, the state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported.

The press service of the Kremlin described the alleged attack as "a planned terrorist act" and an attempt on Putin's life, while State Duma deputy Mikhail Sheremet called for a retaliatory missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's residence in Kyiv.

"We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned," the Kremlin said.

Newsweek cannot independently verify that an assassination attempt was made.

Ukraine has previously accused Moscow of plotting "false flag" attacks.

Zelensky's press secretary, Serhiy Nikiforov, denied that Ukraine was behind Wednesday's alleged attack, telling reporters that Ukraine does not attack foreign territories.

"We have no information about the so-called night attacks on the Kremlin," Nikiforov said. "President Zelensky has repeatedly stated, Ukraine directs all available forces and means to liberate its own territories, and not to attack others."

Newsweek has contacted Ukraine's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

The unmanned aircraft struck the Kremlin after being taken down by electronic-warfare systems, the Kremlin said, noting that there were no casualties or material damage.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time of the alleged attack. He said Putin is working today at his residence near Moscow in the district of Novo-Ogaryovo.

The Kremlin said its military and secret services had acted in a timely manner to take down the drones.

"Russia reserves the right to take retaliatory measures when and where it sees fit," it added.

Samuel Bendett, an adjunct senior fellow and advisor at the Center for a New American Security, who posted footage of the alleged attack on Twitter, told Newsweek that lots of details are still unclear.

Referring to footage of one of the drones Bendett said: "The drone appears to be sizable although it's not clear if it was launched from inside Ukraine, or from Russian territory proper."

"The damage is minimal at this point, and it's unclear if the drone exploded as planned or was shot down by air defenses," he said.

Bendett said the drones "may" be Chinese-made Mugin-5s, "which Ukraine used before for striking Crimea" or Ukraine's own UJ-22 long-range drone.

He described the alleged attack as "psychological" and "demonstrating that Russia's political heartland that is the Kremlin is not safe."

"The attack just days before the planned May 9 Victory parade may also force Russia to change its plans, considering that such parades are already pared down or even canceled across many Russian cities," he said.

"Ukraine has demonstrated time and time again the ability to strike Russian territory, forcing uncomfortable questions about the state of Russian air defenses," Bendett said.

Videos of the apparent drone strike on the Kremlin and the aftermath were shared by Moscow residents on the Telegram messaging app.

One clip shows what appears to be a drone approaching the Kremlin before an explosion occurs. Another video shows smoke rising into the sky.

The alleged attack comes days before Victory Day, Russia's annual May 9 commemoration of the defeat of the Nazis in World War II.

Tensions have been rising in Russia ahead of an anticipated counteroffensive by Kyiv. In Moscow, a military parade will still be held in Red Square on May 9, but the traditional in-person procession of the Immortal Regiment has been scrapped because of security concerns. Parades to mark May 9 have been canceled in Crimea, and in the cities of Belgorod and Kursk, which border Ukraine.

Earlier on Wednesday, shortly before the Kremlin announced the alleged drone attack, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin forbade the flying of drones over the capital from May 3.

"The decision was made to prevent unauthorized use of UAVs, which could complicate the work of law enforcement agencies," he said.

Last week Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, shared a bird's-eye video of Moscow's Red Square as drones were found around the Russian capital. He tweeted that the Kremlin "has every chance to be in the affected area very soon."

Russian authorities have closed Red Square to the public from April 27 to May 10.

"Russian Telegram channels are saying that this attack does not really 'change that much as far as the course of the war is concerned,' given the limited damage…Still, this demonstrates that even a sophisticated air defense like Russia's has trouble managing a drone threat to its most important locations and sites," Bendett said.

Update 05/03/23, 10:37 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and comment from Samuel Bendett.

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