As the war in Ukraine escalates, Russian President Vladimir Putin is claiming that the Kremlin was attacked overnight by drones intended to assassinate him. Two explosions could be heard throughout Moscow at roughly 2 a.m., and footage showed part of the Kremlin on fire. The two blasts occurred about 10 minutes apart, and no injuries have been reported thus far.
When asked who is believed to be responsible for these explosions, the Kremlin stated that Ukraine carefully planned this in an attempt to take out the Russian leader.
Oddly enough, Putin was not at the Kremlin at the time of the attack, which raises questions about the legitimacy of these claims. In the less than 24 hours since the explosions, Russian officials have been pushing for counterattacks.
Putin’s associates have been advising him to take an even more aggressive stance against Ukraine for months and have been trying to frame Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a terrorist. When asked to respond, Zelensky’s spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov pointed out the hypocrisy of this statement by drawing attention to the thousands of innocent lives lost since Russia began the war.
Considering the difficulty of launching two drones undetected, many officials are doubting whether Ukraine had any involvement in these explosions.
This all comes at a time when the Kremlin is especially fearful of drone attacks. Russia’s Victory Day Parade on Red Square will be held on May 9, when its government will try to show a united front to its citizens through nationalist rhetoric.
Rumors have swirled around Putin in recent months that he suffering from cancer and is near the end of his life. The reports were even included in U.S. military reports that were leaked last month.
