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Video footage verified by The Times showed two drones exploding minutes above the Kremlin early Wednesday, in what Russian officials claimed was a Ukrainian strike, which Ukraine denied.
The video shows two aerial objects flying towards the dome roof of one of the complex’s buildings, one coming from the south and the other approaching 15 minutes later from the east. Both exploded, and one ignited a brief fire, though it was unclear if the explosion occurred or just before.
Samuel Bendett, an autonomous military systems expert at the Russian Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analysis, a federally funded organization in Arlington, Va., said that if the object was a drone, it was not possible to determine the location from which it was launched. in the direction of the attack, because the trajectory can change when approaching the Kremlin.
Russia says the drone went down, that the damage from the explosion was minimal and that no one was injured. Mr Bendett said the video did not make it clear whether the object exploded as planned or was shot down by air defences. He added that one of them looked “large”.
Mr Bendett said the drone strikes by Ukraine would be carried out mainly for psychological effect, to show that the Kremlin is not safe.
Footage of the attack was published by the local Moscow Telegram channel. Later, Center TV, a Russian news outlet, posted videos of both explosions, including the moment of the detonation above the Kremlin.
While there have been drone strikes on Russian territory since Moscow invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, an attack on the Kremlin by Ukraine would be a significant escalation. Current and former U.S. officials told The Times that the blasts may have been a false flag operation carried out by Russia, but that they did not know for long. Officials say US intelligence agencies are still trying to determine what happened.
The Russian presidential press service said it considered the explosion a “planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life” of President Vladimir V. Putin. At statementUkraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, strongly denied responsibility for the explosion, saying that Ukraine “did not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.”
The domed Kremlin structure houses the Russian Senate, as well as Mr. Putin’s office and the apartment where he sometimes stays, along with the ceremonial hall and the presidential library. Russian officials said Mr. Putin was at a compound on the outskirts of Moscow about 20 miles from the Kremlin when the explosion occurred.
Flying drones in the Kremlin has been banned. About 12 hours after the video of the incident began to circulate online, the mayor of Moscow announced on Telegram a ban on launching drones in the entire city.
Christina Kelso contributed to video production.
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