Update(1305ET):
Outspoken former Russian president and current deputy chairman of the security council Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday in a post on social media that the overnight drone attack on the Kremlin has left Moscow with no options but to "eliminate" Ukrainian President Zelensky and his "clique". Essentially he's calling for a 'decapitation' strike of the government in Kiev.
As for Zelensky, he's vehemently denied his government was behind the attack, which Russia is asserting was an assassination attempt targeting Putin.
And US Secretary of State Antony Blinken weighed in, casting doubt on Russia's narrative:
“I can’t in any way validate them,” said Blinken, who was at an event with the Post to preview the 2023 World Press Freedom Index. “We simply don’t know. Second, I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt.”
Meanwhile, more interesting videos - and closer up showing the inbound drone - continue to emerge...
Drone strikes on the Kremlin: Well Kiev and its western backers certainly have Moscow’s attention. The Kiev regime will truly regret this attention. Civilian leadership is fair game now.
Update(10:02ET): Zelensky's office is insisting it had nothing to do with the drone strike on the Kremlin, which Russian officials say was a "terrorist" attempt to assassinate President Putin:
Even though Ukraine has denied involvement, pro-Kremlin voices are already calling for revenge. In a social media post, Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of Russia’s lower house of Parliament, said: "We will demand the use of weapons capable of stopping and destroying the Kyiv terrorist regime."
The reaction out of lawmakers in Russia's State Duma has been predictably hawkish, also with prominent Russian MP Mikhail Sheremet reportedly saying "It's time to launch a missile attack on Zelensky's residence." Via news wires:
RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER DEMANDS KYIV REGIME BE DESTROYED AFTER DRONE ATTACK ON KREMLIN
The New York Times meanwhile has underscored that "If confirmed, it would be the most audacious attempted strike on Russian soil since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year." The report also provides a reminder of recent US intelligence revelations which previewed just such a scenario as drones targeting the Kremlin:
Update(0845ET): Below is the clearest video to have surfaced thus far which appears to show what the Kremlin is calling an assassination attempt targeting President Putin:
The video is remarkably close and shows the inbound flight path of the drone as it flew over the Kremlin perimeter. A small explosion briefly sets fire to the rooftop of the struck main building, which houses presidential offices, and may have resulted in minor damage.
Will this incident provide Moscow with a justification for the possible coming "shock and awe" campaign against Ukraine in response?
Ukraine is quickly trying to distance itself from the drone attack, which some online pundits have already begun to claim and speculate could have been a 'false flag'...
- UKRAINE HAS NO LINKS TO DRONE ATTACKS ON KREMLIN: PODOLYAK
- UKRAINE: NOT USING RESOURCES TO ATTACK FOREIGN TERRITORIES
- UKRAINE: DON'T HAVE INFORMATION ON KREMLIN DRONE ATTACK
"Ukraine presidential office denies drone strike on Kremlin, says such an attack would achieve nothing and not change anything on the battlefield," VOA correspondent Steve Herman has noted of the statements from Zelensky's office.
The Kremlin says two drones were sent by Ukraine in an overnight attack on Moscow and on government buildings which it sees as an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.
A Kremlin press statement called it a "planned terrorist attack" against Putin directly, and says Russia has a right to respond "where and when it deems necessary".
The Russian presidential spokesman followed-up with this message after the initial Kremlin press release:
"As a result of this terrorist act, the President of the Russian Federation was not injured. His work schedule has not changed, it continues as usual," the message said.
Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov explained that the head of state was not in the Kremlin during what he described as a Ukrainian UAV attack on Tuesday night. He noted that President Putin is currently working from his residence near Moscow.
All of this makes a downed Ukrainian drone incident outside Moscow from last week much more interesting in hindsight, which we covered here: Kremlin Rejects German Media's 'Putin Drone Assassination' Report. It will also be interesting to see whether Russia points the finger at the United States and West for its longtime intelligence support to Kiev, as we reviewed in December based on this statement: We Are Not "Enabling" Or "Encouraging" Ukraine To Strike Within Russia: White House.
developing...
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