US media reported that US intelligence had obtained data that led them to believe that a Ukrainian group could be behind the drone attack on the Kremlin in early May.
Several sources told CNN on May 24 that the country’s intelligence had overheard conversations by Ukrainian officials in which they blamed themselves for the explosion of a drone over the campus. Kremlin on May 3. During the talks, some Ukrainian military officials and intelligence service members speculated whether Ukrainian special forces had launched the drone strike operation.
US intelligence also obtained separate communications from Russia that showed Russian officials blaming Ukraine. Combining factors, US authorities are investigating the possibility that a Ukrainian group was behind the explosion of a UAV over the Kremlin.
However, US officials said they could not reach a final conclusion about who was responsible, saying the hypothesis “has a low level of confidence”. They believe that senior Ukrainian officials, including President Zelensky, did not order the attack or did not know about the operation in advance.
Russia accuses Ukraine of plotting to assassinate Putin
The moment the UAV exploded over the Senate Palace of the Kremlin compound in Moscow on May 3. Video: RIA Novosti
US officials also said the attack “was not an act staged by Russia” to create a pretext for an escalation in the conflict with Ukraine. Some sources said that Russian air defense might not detect the drones attacking the Kremlin because they are small in size and relatively light.
Russia has accused Ukraine of sending two UAVs to attack the Russian president’s residence in the early hours of May 3, damaging the roof of the Senate Palace, calling it a “terrorist act” and “a plot to assassinate President Vladimir Putin”. Russian military and special forces used an electronic warfare system to disable two UAVs as they crashed into the building.
Ukraine then denied Russia’s accusations and insisted it “did not attack Putin or Moscow”, and said it had nothing to do with the Kremlin bombing because the attack on the complex did not change the course of the war. act more radically”.
Russian authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine of using drones to strike deep into its territory, including the December 2022 attack on Dyagilevo and Engels air bases that killed three people. However, Ukraine generally does not accept responsibility for operating UAVs on Russian territory.
Damaged location on the dome of the Senate Palace in the Kremlin on May 3. Photo: Anadolu
Nguyen Tien (according to CNN)
