Did Ukraine really try to kill Putin?

The last few weeks has seen a sharp uptick in hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. In recent days, Moscow carried out its largest lethal drone operation targeting Kyiv. Less than one week prior, the Kremlin vowed to avenge the alleged unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) barrage that struck the Red Square.

According to Russian state-media outlets, Ukraine launched the drone attack in an effort to assassinate president Vladimir Putin. Ukraine has vehemently denied masterminding this barrage, adding that his forces don’t attack Putin or Moscow.

However, frequent UAV barrages have struck Russian territory in recent months, which Kyiv has never claimed responsibility for. Even if Ukraine has conducted similar attacks in Russia previously, officials are doubtful that the country is behind the purported Kremlin incident.

Did Putin orchestrate the Kremlin attack?

U.S.-based UAV experts believe that the drones used in the alleged Putin attack may have actually originated from inside the country. According to Reuters, the Kremlin has set up extensive air defense systems surrounding Moscow and government structures due to fear and paranoia surrounding potential attacks.

For this reason, any Ukrainian-launched UAVs would have needed to evade thorough defense systems in and around the Russian capital- a situation that is not too likely.

The CEO and founder of the drone manufacturer BRINC told the news outlet that “It is surprising this drone was able to fly through all of Moscow up to the Kremlin without being detected and destroyed, the relatively small size and low altitude could help. If the drone was not utilizing GPS and not communicating with a ground control station, that would also harden it from jamming or spoofing techniques.”

What we know about the incident

Videos of the drone attack provided by Russian-state media outlets depict the “terror attack” that the Kremlin alleges.