Kremlin Drone Attack

 If you follow the news, you will have seen images like this:


It features an alleged Ukranian drone attack on the Kremlin, according to Putin.  


Given that such an act is totally out of character with the entire way Ukraine has conducted the war, I want to suggest two far more likely scenarios:


1.  This is an attack by some internal Russian dissident group, perhaps financed by an oligarch sick of seeing his horde of wealth dissipated by Putin's egomania.  


2.  And this is far more frightening:  It is a false flag event, intended to justify attempts by Russia to kill Zelenskyy, perhaps on his upcoming trip to Finland.  


We will just have to see what develops from this.

Comments

Kwark said…
I'm under the impression that Putin is always looking to assassinate Zelensky. The false flag option seems likely if you assume the stunt was done purely for the domestic "news" since no one outside Russia, except some Republicans, buy any of the hypocritical "justifications" for his actions that Putin spouts.
Infidel753 said…
A "false flag" seems like the less likely possibility. Given the Russian military's incompetence, Putin couldn't be sure that the part where the defenders shoot the drones down would be pulled off properly, so there would have been a risk of causing real damage to the Kremlin. There have already been events that Putin could have used as a pretext for trying to kill Zelensky, if he felt a special pretext to be necessary. I suppose it's possible, though. Putin is not necessarily rational.

A genuine assassination attempt by disgruntled Russians is very plausible. It could be, as you say, an oligarch, or elements of the Russian military, who would also have access to drones.

It will be interesting if any of the drone wreckage can be obtained by the West somehow and analyzed independently. If it turns out to be a type of drone used by Russia and not by Ukraine, that would eliminate an actual Ukrainian attack, though it would still be consistent with either of the possibilities you mention.
Green Eagle said…
Shooting the drones down would not have to happen from outside. They might have been equipped with internal detonators and exploded over the Kremlin. Far safer, really, given the incompetence of the Russian military. Anyway, I take your point- I think either one of these scenarios is far more likely than a real Ukrainian attack, particularly as just about everyone knows that Putin does not normally sleep in the Kremlin.
St. Joan said…
Did you see the blow up the video? At the time of the explosions you can see a figure climbing the ladder on the dome, near where fire broke out.

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