Russia’s accusations that it tried to kill Ukrainian President Vladimir Putin with a drone strike on the Kremlin were a source of Western suspicion, reinforced by Kiev’s denials.

On Wednesday, Ukraine denied it was behind the alleged “strike”, which Moscow said had targeted Putin’s residence in the Kremlin with two drones, while Washington said it was treating the news with caution. “Trying” is pure. lie

On Wednesday, Mikhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, denied Kiev was behind the attack in an interview with Natsik Daily, saying such attacks were not in Ukraine’s interest. Attacks on civilians.

Podoliak said, “This strike will encourage Russia to escalate the war it started and put millions of civilians at greater risk,” then added, “Why do we need this? Where is the logic in that?”

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has denied Moscow’s accusations that he tried to assassinate Putin, insisting that Ukraine wants to see him brought to justice and that the purpose of his forces is no more than protecting the country’s borders. .

On Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell warned Russia against using the attack on the Kremlin to intensify its attacks in Ukraine.

“We call on Russia not to use this attack as an excuse” for the war, which began in early 2022, he said.

Immediately after the strike was announced, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia had no choice but to “debilitate” the Ukrainian president and his “team,” as he put it.

Excuse me

Nikita Mentkovich, a Russian analyst, denied that Russia wanted an excuse to escalate its actions against it in the wake of Kiev’s accusations.

In a statement to Al-Hura, he said, “Moscow does not need an excuse to attack Ukraine,” noting that Ukraine’s attacks are enough to “retaliate” against Russia.

He then continued, saying that Russia has the ability to attack Ukrainian soldiers unjustifiably because they have not stopped attacking civilians – as he said – in areas controlled by Russian forces, especially Donetsk, which is occupied by Moscow.

Last year, Russia forcibly annexed four Ukrainian regions — Kherson and Zaporizhia in the south and Donetsk and Luhansk in the east — which form a vital land corridor between Russia and the Crimean peninsula. Force, in 2014.

On Thursday, Russian-appointed officials in Crimea announced they had shot down a drone near an air base on the peninsula, in a new similar incident in the past few days.

“Another attack on Sevastopol, our air defense destroyed a drone in the area of ​​the Belbek base,” Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvokayev said on the Telegram platform.

On the other hand, Ukraine announced on Thursday that it had shot down 18 of the 24 drones launched by Russia overnight, following accusations from Moscow.

In a Ukrainian Air Force Telegram, “the invaders launched 24 Shahed 136/131 drones. The Ukrainian Air Force, together with other air defense units, shot down 18 drones.”

“throbbing”

Returning to accuse Kiev of trying to kill Putin with a drone, US military analyst Michael Pregent said Russia was actually trying to find excuses for its forces to justify crimes against the Ukrainian people.

In an interview with the Al-Hurrah website, he commented on the attack, saying, “I think this is a completely Russian plan. There is no doubt that whoever did this was for the benefit of Russian intelligence.”

Later, he insisted that “Russia wants to appear as a victim in a war it has waged against a defenseless population,” recalling that it was Moscow that started the war in 2022 and forcibly annexed lands belonging to the neighboring country. “How does the Kremlin expect us to believe this situation?”

For his part, Mendkovich, the Russia analyst, insists that Ukraine actually wants to assassinate Putin, or at least threaten him.

Specifically when answering a question on the Al-Hurrah website, Mendkovich asked, “Why don’t we believe what we say when it comes to Russia?” He then continued, “Why should we believe the September 11 attacks were actually terrorism,” referring to the need to accept Russia’s perspective, which it said Ukraine tried to kill Putin “if not for the vigilance of its forces,” which neutralized two drones that were about to attack Putin’s headquarters in the Kremlin.

Can two drones do it from a technical point of view?

Mentkovic replied to the question, “Of course, if they were loaded with powerful explosives capable of hitting strong buildings.”

But Pregent, a US military analyst, disputes this, saying Russia knows full well that the Kremlin is not easily accessible, especially in wartime.

From a technical point of view, a small drone capable of penetrating a powerful government building like the Kremlin could not be loaded with explosives, he stressed, and could not target the president’s office there.

Pregent commented on the Russian novel that “it’s rubbish”.

It is noteworthy that Moscow, the capital of Russia, is located 500 km from the border with Ukraine, and the Kremlin is located in a heavily guarded area.

Therefore, the Russian accusations surprised many analysts.