The video footage appears to show an explosion on the domed roof of a building known as the Kremlin Senate.
Moscow:
Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin residence with drones – a charge Kiev has denied.
Unverified video footage circulating on social media appears to show an explosion on the domed roof of a building known as the Kremlin Senate, which houses the presidential administration, though the exact target and perpetrator remain unknown.
Here are some key questions about the incident:
– Who performed it? –
Moscow blamed Kiev for attempting to assassinate Putin in a “planned act of terrorism and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation”.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied his country was responsible, saying: “We are fighting on our territory, we are defending our towns and cities.”
Ukrainian presidential spokesman Mikhaylo Podolyak suggested Moscow is to blame.
“Such staged reports from Russia should be regarded solely as an attempt to prepare background information for a large-scale terrorist attack on Ukraine,” Podolyak said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also questioned the veracity of Russia’s account, saying “I would take anything that comes out of the Kremlin with a very large salt shaker.”
And Eastern European expert Sergey Sumlenny said he believes Russia is responsible.
He cited factors including the Kremlin quickly confirming the incident and the proliferation of purported CCTV footage from government-controlled cameras as evidence that Russia “wants us to see it”.
– Can Ukraine be responsible? –
Although the perpetrator is unknown, Ukraine has the technical capabilities to carry out long-range strikes in Russia and has done so before.
“Right now it could be Ukraine’s own UJ-22 drone, or a Chinese-made Mugin-5, which was apparently used by Ukraine before,” while Kiev’s PD-1 drone is another option, he said. Samuel Bendett, a researcher in unmanned military systems who is an analyst with the CNA Russia Studies Program.
The UJ-22 “has a long range and could potentially reach Moscow,” but it’s unclear at this point where the drones were launched from, Bendett said, stressing that much is still unknown at this point.
Dominika Kunertova, a senior researcher at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, agreed.
“I think it is possible that Ukraine has developed a long-range drone capability that could reach Moscow. Increasing the strike distance has been Ukraine’s main goal with regard to innovation in unmanned systems,” Kunertova said.
But she added that “one of the main strategic benefits of using a drone for this purpose is the denial.”
– What impact will it have? –
In terms of physical damage, very little: AFP saw some people climb an outside staircase to the roof of the Kremlin’s Senate building, which appeared to be unharmed.
People were also walking in the area and no reinforced police were present.
But an adversary attack on the heart of the Russian government would still have “a strong psychological impact,” Bendett said.
It would also raise questions about the quality of Russian air defenses.
“Russian commentators hinted even last year that it probably cannot protect the entire country and there may be gaps that can be exploited,” Bendett said, though it is “unclear why this drone was not intercepted over Moscow.”
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