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As Moscow claims Ukraine – with help from the West – was behind what it called an “assassination attempt” on Russian President Vladimir Putin, US officials say the Kremlin claim is the stuff of make-believe.
“There is no doubt that the Kyiv regime is behind these attacks,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday. “The silence on behalf of the collective West demonstrates its connivance with the terrorist methods employed by the neo-Nazi extremist regime in Kyiv.”
Despite Russia’s accusations, the so-called “drone attacks” on Putin were highly unlikely to have been conducted by Ukraine, according to US intelligence and defense officials, as well as lawmakers.
Here’s why:The drones’ size
Video released Wednesday of the alleged attack appears to show a small drone – the kind available at a hobby store – swarming above the Kremlin before exploding in a bright flash of flame.
While it was unclear Thursday whether the explosion was caused by the drone’s detonation or a Russian missile, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott D. Berrier agreed with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the drones “do not appear to be the kind or size of weapon that could do significant damage to the Kremlin.
