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© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Russia claims Ukraine tried to hit Kremlin; Kyiv denies it
By DAVID RISING KYIV, Ukraine©2023 GPlusMedia Inc.
99 Comments
plasticmonkey
Amen.
If Ukraine wanted to off Putin, they wouldn’t be doing it in such a ham-fisted manner.
Yrral
I believe Putin is getting to strike Ukraine Presidential Palace and the Central Bank ,this would be justifiable act in Putin eyes,they had the mean ,but the will was lacking,this make it possible now
2020hindsights
This is such a blatant fake that it is laughable. Most likely they are planning on doing more war criming and this is likely an excuse for it.
ok1517
Watching the videos (also from Russian channels) makes me think:
what are those 2 people doing on the roof?
Yet another false flag operation by Russia to get more support for PUTAin and his marauders!
Looking for something to commit more genocide, more terror, all it is!
UKRAINE PREVAILS!
TaiwanIsNotChina
False Flagging Russia is going to use this as an excuse to attack the presidential palace in Ukraine.
PTownsend
Th drones were probably just another false flag from the land of Potemkin villages, add this to the Nordstream attack and it looks like Russia prefers to score own goals, while killing babies, old women and other unarmed civilians.
Mark
Propaganda, a pretext to kill Mr. Zelensky according to many analysts. Ukraine gains NOTHING by attacking the Kremlin or harming Putin.
ok1517
According to other news sites it seems, that it was a drone attack by Russian partisans.
Wouldn't surprise me at all. Reistance from within, some waiting to succedd PUTAin ....
Ukraine prevails!
Blacklabel
Ukraine tries to assassinate the leader of another country and fails.
Zelensky lovers still fine, leap to his defense.
Thuban
It doesn't matter how ridiculous the official government narrative of the false flag seems to outside observers, as long as a certain percentage of the domestic audience believes it, the government can proceed with their plans.
I learned that just over 20 years ago.
Haaa Nemui
We don’t know that’s the case yet.
Cards fan
There's no proof of this. Gullible American rightists again falling for whatever the Kremlin says.
Yes. I do like Zelensky, because he's leading his country it's defense against fascist invaders. Curious you don't like him.
Yrral
Wise,their is no law saying American owe allegiance to Ukraine, American are free to have their own foreign policy,and even challenge the government policy,not like in Japan
EFD
All the hallmarks of a hurried and this poorly executed false flag.
Remember this is the same Putin’s Russia that was caught red-handed blowing up its own apartment blocks to justify launching the 2nd Chechen war.
fallaffel
Plenty of Russians are against the Kremlin leadership, including ex-military. Look a bit closer to home before blaming another country.
TokyoLiving
Of course, wait for the military response from Russia..
Don't mess with the bear..
nosuke
Lucky for Putin this time? but NATO I mean Ukraine plans to assinate the president of Russia would escalate this war beyond WW3. Everyone should be afraid of war. Not rooting sides. Peace talk please and no more war please.
UChosePoorly
That drone in the video was not going to assassinate anyone.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Bears are of not of human intellect. I'm not sure you want to associate your country with something that can be so easily put down.
TaiwanIsNotChina
If you are not rooting sides than you should want Ukraine's land returned to it.
Blacklabel
not what the leaked US intelligence documents said.
lincolnman
Another utterly transparent false flag operation by Putin and his thugs...
When has Putin ever admitted his military were out-smarted and defeated by the Ukrainians...
The bombing of the cafe in St Petersburg, the recent train bombings, now this drone attack - all conducted by Putin and his FSB buds to try to trick the Russian people to believe they are under attack.
They are - by their own government - just like they were in 1999 when Putin bombed his own apartments and blamed it on the Chechens...
La vie douce
Sacrebleu....Russia will be pissed now.
There was no independent verification of the reported attack on the Kremlin, which Russia authorities said occurred overnight but presented no evidence to support it."
No evidence? Videos showing the drone exploding over Kremlin were all over Internet last night. News channels such as AlJazeera, DW were covering this breaking news / videos extensively.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken- . We simply don’t know.” "I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt. So let’s see.
Yes, monsignor Blinken must be thinking how to spin this into Russia attacking itself again / fake news story- ala Russia bombed its own pipeline, lol. We should take anything Mr. Anthony says with an oversized shaker of salt / pepper.
" According to other news sites it seems, that it was a drone attack by Russian partisans. Yet another false flag operation by Russia to get more support ..."
Ayaya....perhaps the same scuba diving partisans who blew up Nordstream no? Fairytale land
There's no proof of this. Gullible American rightists again falling for whatever the Kremlin says.
Versus gullible Biden leftists falling for the White House spin ? ala Russians blew up its own pipeline, no it was partisan diving team with a femme fatale included, no it was Santa Claus. Lol.
Zelensky lovers still fine, leap to his defense."
Zelensky is a great leader but this Kremlin attack was mistake.
Cards fan
Right. Something that the Russian government has never done is a false flag attack. We're all aware of the video, but that doesn't mean Ukrainian did it. They certainly are denying responsibility.
It very well could have been a false flag attack, or some other anti-Putin/anti-government group in Russia.
EFD
Lol. For starters, the bear broke into their house, started eating their food and children. Fighting back dies not constitute “poking.”
And short of going nuclear, which would entail a war with NATO that even Mimi-me’s most fervent fan-bois know he would lose catastrophically, WTF are the big bad Russians going to do?
Send more if their boats to stop floating in the Black Sea?
Mobilize more museum-piece mobile crew crematoriums AKA Russian Tanks?
Send more convicts to certain death?
No, this is a false flag, very poorly executed to cover up for a war they are losing and about to start losing worse.
Blacklabel
oh?
“Leaked Pentagon documents suggest US is pessimistic Ukraine can quickly end war against Russia”
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/11/politics/pentagon-documents-ukraine-war-assessment/index.html
kwatt
It seems to me Putin himself made a looking like drone attack by/from Ukraine because he wants to recruit much more new soldiers to continue the war until win.
EFD
The ground is shifting under mini-me’s feet.
His “army” is getting ground to pulp in his “special military operation.”
He can’t even muster enough modern tanks for nationwide May celebrations and people might start carrying pictures of their dead veterans in THIS was rather than the good wars as a sign of protest.
His rubes are getting flustered and his generals are getting restless.
So this laughable “assassination attempt” at the perfect camera angle at the perfect height to assassinate a man the Ukrainian government knew wasn’t even there.
Wick's pencil
Ukraine is being blamed for it, but it's probably the US.
fallaffel
Sure, well why not both? Add in Poland and some Russian opposition leaders too for funsies. No evidence necessary.
stormcrow
Hey, Putin! Quick…look up!!! What’s that?! Made ya look! Lol!
La vie douce
Right. Something that the Russian government has never done is a false flag attack.We're all aware of the video, but that doesn't mean Ukrainian did it. They certainly are denying responsibility.
Naturally, they do s they do with all their cross border, inside Russia attacks. Nothing good to gain by claim of responsibility.
It very well could have been a false flag attack, or some other anti-Putin/anti-government group in Russia.
Probability of that is very much lower than a Ukrainian attack.
No, this is a false flag, very poorly executed to cover up for a war they are losing and about to start losing worse.
Very unlikely, where is your proof this is false attack? Same as Putin blowing up his own pipeline fairy story.
The bombing of the cafe in St Petersburg, the recent train bombings, now this drone attack - all conducted by Putin and his FSB buds to try to trick the Russian people to believe they are under attack.
Did Pentagon / White House announce this theory ..via CNN & co perhaps? Where is reliable independent proof these were all done by Russia? Sceptical.
2020hindsights
Wick's pencil
Ukraine tries to assassinate the leader of another country and fails.
Actually, almost certainly Russia.
2020hindsights
La vie douce
There was no independent verification of the reported attack on the Kremlin, which Russia authorities said occurred overnight but presented no evidence to support it."
Nobody is disputing that a drone exploded over the Kremlin. We are disputing that it was done by Ukraine. And the evidence overwhelming indicate it was done by Russia.
Blacklabel
So the leaked documents that say Ukraine isn’t going to lake any process this year are back to being fake again?
La vie douce
We are disputing that it was done by Ukraine. And the evidence overwhelming indicate it was done by Russia.
What independent evidence do you have for this claim? Not counting retired US military comments to loaded questions on CNN. Seriously, what evidence?
Cards fan
Except, again, that isn't what the documents say. This is your narrative.
What independent evidence do you have to make your claim? A video released by the Kremlin? You haven't laid anything out other than to say the probability of some anti-Putin/government group is low, but that's not much of an argument.
EFD
No that’s not what they say. They say that US analysis is that any gains will not be decisive THIS year, and that the water will carry on into 2024 with neither side willing to negotiate.
For starters, this is very different from “Ukraine isn’t going to lake any process this year”. Either you are being willfully misleading or you just lack reading comprehension. To be fair, it could be both.
In addition, this is a prediction based on analysis. I don’t doubt the opinions, but opinions are not always born out by events.
fallaffel
The 'evidence' so far is a low-res video of something crashing, while two people are climbing up on the Kremlin roof. Right now everyone on both sides is just imagining what happened without any real proof.
Desert Tortoise
Risible. If the US was going to attack the Kremlin a pair of B-2s each carrying a pair of 14,500 kg bombs (there are such bombs for the B-2) would have left a smoking hole in the ground filling with water from the Moscow River.
Desert Tortoise
And Mr. Putin would have been deader than a door nail!
Eastmann
everyone here who believes that it was Russia behind the attck,show your evidences,as fact loving fact checkers this should be not a problem?
otherways all of your comments are just off topic speculations...
2020hindsights
La vie douce
Putin doesn't stay in the Kremlin at night, so obviously not targeting Putin.
Two people were climbing the dome at the time.
The drone would have had to fly 500km through Russian missile defences, and yet got to the Kremlin.Blacklabel
oh nothing decisive this year is still considered as making progress this year.
Oh the word games you play.
I believe the leaked documents said is "stalemate" which is the opposite of making progress.
Desert Tortoise
I could see Ukraine trying to get some UASs in past Russian air defenses to make a nuisance attack on the Kremlin. It would be extremely embarrassing to them. Look, all your vaunted S-400s and BUK systems you have sitting on the roofs and lawns of your government buildings are useless! Great propaganda for Ukriaine.
But assassinate Mr. Putin with such a small weapon is kind of laughable. For one thing he doesn't live in the Kremlin but in a big mansion adjacent the Kremlin. If he is even there. And it would take some pretty large ordnance to do appreciable damage to either his personal residence or especially the Kremlin, enough damage to hurt or maybe kill him. A pair of piddly little UAS like the ones in the videos aren't going to do it.
Cards fan
Pointing out your inaccuracies isn't "word games," friend.
They also said likely. Not definitely or absolutely. One way to insure there isn't a stalemate is to stop funding Ukraine, which would inevitably cause them to lose, which is exactly what the rightists want.
La vie douce
What independent evidence do you have to make your claim? A video released by the Kremlin?
That is still one more video than your ' evidence' for a counterclaim for which you have zero. Only whatabout argument. Thats no response monsignor.
EFD
It’s called nuance. Something you’d know nothing about.
Incremental progress is indeed progress. Ask the Russians who are now going over on the defensive.
And again, 15 months into a 3-day op, Kiev is still free. Zelenski still breathing and in charge. The Black Sea “fleet” hiding in the Sea of Azov. 1/2 the front line tanks destroyed. 3 NATO facing armies rendered combat ineffective. No air domination over Ukraine. 200k or thereabouts dead.
And Russia is winning? Yeah, not so much.
No wonder the midget from Moscow is faking his own assassination attempt.
Desert Tortoise
No one has mentioned the Chechens yet but some of the Chechen resistance has been making noises about resuming their war for independence from Russia.
Yrral
DT,where is your Ukraine counterfeit offensive, I hate for delusional American,that are all hat and no cattle
geronimo2006
Russia doesn't care if people in the West don't believe it. They know they won't. But it will be reported quite differently in other countries like China and India. That's their target audience and, unfortunately, many of them do believe Russian propaganda. Their continued support for Russia by buying Russian oil and gas is critical to Putin. And he the need Russians who are more skeptical of his war to believe they are being threatened by a Western proxy.
Antiquesaving
This is now the taking point all MSM and the USA are pushing compared to right after it happened where social media was pointing to a failure of Russian defenses.
Think about all the other ways and false flags Russia could have done instead.
What kind of good propaganda move would it be to admit that a Ukrainian drone was able to reach Moscow and on to Kremlin property?
If Moscow was going to do a false flag, I suspect a drone taken down near a school near the border or a hospital, etc..
It doesn't look good inside Russia that the military didn't stop this drone earlier.
So the idea this was some kind of false flag just doesn't add up.
La vie douce
DT,where is your Ukraine counterfeit offensive, I hate for delusional American,that are all hat and no cattle
Breaking news reporting Wagner head said Ukranian counteroffensive is starting now in Bakhmut with ' unlimited men and munitions ' and it threatens to overwhelm Wagner soldiers. So Wagner maybe pushed out of Bakhmut. If true, the drone attack on Kremlin maybe was the opening shot to signal start in the counteroofensive.
stormcrow
As drones improve and become more sophisticated, there are going to be spectacular assassinations in the future. It’ll be like a James Bond movie.
Desert Tortoise
Ukraine troops crossed over to the east side of the Dnieper River last week. If you have followed the fighting around Kherson then you understand the significance of that move. There have been missile and drone attacks on oil storage facilities in Crimea and across the Kerch Strait in Krasnodar, operationally preparing the battlespace. Ukraine is not announcing anything but it appears to be underway.
Blacklabel
thats what you have? seriously?
"likely" isnt good enough for you? there is no way to predict definitely or absolutely, which is what the leaked document is, an informed prediction that says likely.
"stalemate" until 2024. then what after that, Ukraine loses?
stalemate would mean the "spring offensive" with all the brand new game changing weapons didnt work (and that Zelensky saying they are going to win soon is false.
Blacklabel
oh thats not propaganda, at all.
both of those things obviously have limits.
very small limits at that.
kyushubill
Putin is so desperate he is doing false flags now.
Antiquesaving
I pointed out not to trust anything Prigozhin says publicly.
The claim of not getting ammunition was probably a fake to lure Ukraine into attacking.
So some pointed to Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev deputy Minister of Defense in charge of supplies was "removed" from his post, this what people used as "proof" Prigozhin was not getting ammunition.
Well in Russia it is being reported that Wagner PMC has decided to offer Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev the post of first deputy commander of Wagner PMC or basically the second in command.
And now we have reports that Russia is firing massive amounts of shells on the Ukrainian reinforcements rushed to Bakhmut.
Antiquesaving
Explain how this would be a good false flag?
Seriously! If anything it makes Russian defense look weak!
There are far more possible false flags Russia could use and not make their defense look weak.
u_s__reamer
Fireworks over the Kremlin? A crime scene that has the paw-prints of the Russian bear all over it. Putin has probably pulled another false-flag operation out of his bag of KGB tricks since lying has been the MO of his wolf-crying regime from the start. One day there will be an attack on his miserable life for real.
Antiquesaving
Now for a reality check!
Why is India buying so much Russian oil?
Because European demand,
https://m.economictimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-is-now-europes-largest-supplier-of-refined-fuels/amp_articleshow/99883538.cms
So the west talks big then buys what it knows is Russian oil based products via India.
EFD
I don’t find much credibility with Mini-me’s version of things, but for the moment, let’s take his version of events at face value (stifles a giggle).
That would mean that days before a national gathering, with thousands of security personnel on hand, the UA from about 500km away managed to get not one, but two kamikaze drones within feet of where the midget sleeps when he’s not in his definitely NOT tax funded lair down South.
And THAT makes the Russians look competent?
So either Putin’s security is full of holes OR he’s lying.
I’m going with the latter.
Antiquesaving
So in your opinion he is lying and making his defense look incompetent!?
And that makes sense to you?
He is basically admitting his defense messed up,
That is along the lines of the conspiracy theories that the USA knew about Pearl harbor and let it happen just to get in the war,
Both just don't logically add up
EFD
He’s losing. He knows he’s losing. He knows that a strategic defeat spells the end for him. He’s desperate and willing to try anything to change the dynamic.
So he creates a laughably bad “assassination attempt” and with it makes all kinds of threats he has no means or intention of delivering on.
AND it makes him look incompetent because he is, well, incompetent.
rainyday
I’m noting a bit of confusion among the Putin fanboys over how to play this.
Trying to play off a very small explosion that caused no material damage in a location that was nowhere near Putin, or anywhere near a location Putin was ever likely to be, as a dastardly attempt on his life by the sneaky Ukrainians which Putin heroically thwarted is certainly not beneath them.
On the other hand, admitting that the Ukrainians can hit targets in Moscow would seem to conflict with their “mighty bear” fairy tale. So playing up the incident would undermine other arguments they constantly raise.
Even entertaining the idea that it was a false flag, or a Russian on Russian incident of some sort (lot of senior Russians getting pushed out of windows these days) is a no starter for them, naturally. They demand rock solid evidence of that, which if it ever comes forward can quickly be ignored.
MiuraAnjin
The Kremlin realises that having 60,000 new widows and grieving mothers join the Immortal Regiment procession on Victory Day will be a bad look. Recommends not holding processions for fear of "terrorist attack".
60,000 new widows and grieving mothers publically query the likelyhood of a terrorist attack in the heart of Russia.
Drones hit the Kremlin 5 days before V-Day.wallace
Many of the military parades normally held on May 9 has been cancelled due to fears of attacks. The Red Square one will most likely happen but scaled-back version.
Antiquesaving
Right so they make the population think Ukraine can fly 2 Drones all the way to the Kremlin!
A car bomb found outside the building would has sufficed!
A "Capture" of Ukraine " terrorist" some place in Moscow an a cash of explosives would have done the job even better.
But NO, you think making the air defense look bad was the way the Kremlin and Putin went.
TokyoLiving
Anyway the fall of Bakhmut will be celebrated..
wallace
The so-called drone attack, there is no proof it actually happened was probably a Putin false flag enabling him to cancel the military parades and some kind of justification for attacking Ukrainian civilian targets.
"The Russian Defense Ministry has been recruiting inmates from prisons in at least 25 different regions of the country to serve in the Russian military in Ukraine, according to an investigation by the BBC Russian service published Wednesday."
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/05/03/russian-army-found-to-have-recruited-prisoners-to-fight-in-ukraine-a81023
2020hindsights
TokyoLiving
Many of the military parades normally held on May 9 has been cancelled due to fears of attacks. The Red Square one will most likely happen but scaled-back version.
It has to fall first...
EFD
IF Bakhmut falls. And when one celebrates the fall of a strategically insignificant salt mine after 6 months and 100k casualties, while the defending force withdraws intact and with their C3 in tact, one is truly lowering the bar for “success.”
TaiwanIsNotChina
Lol, not this year. Even if next year, how my hundreds of thousands of Russians are ready to die or maimed to make it to Kiev?
wallace
AI can create a video of a drone attacking the Kremlin.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Does that crew strike you as particularly capable and sane?
I know you are such a big fan of sanctions that you want the third party ones, but patience.
lincolnman
If I was a Westerner in Russia I'd be heading to the border ASAP....
Putin knows the Ukrainian counter-offensive is coming - he knows he has nether the troops or equipment to stop it...
All he can do is what he has done in the past - stage some false flag attack to distract from the upcoming defeat and try to rally the Russian people...
Another apartment or cafe bombing, a subway attack, a supermarket bombed...
Putin and his FSB cronies likely have it already planned...with video at the site and a faked "arrest" within 24 hours...
Antiquesaving
I am still waiting for a LOGICAL explanation why Moscow would make itself look incompetent by claiming 2 drones made it to the Kremlin when a far simpler car bomb outside would have achieved the same results and not made the air defense look bad.
Common guys one logical explanation, you can do it!
TaiwanIsNotChina
https://news.yahoo.com/russias-ex-president-calls-elimination-170954329.html
QED
EFD
The same to reasons that cause Mimi-me to launch a war and then fail: poor judgment and incompetence.
That’s TWO logical explanations.
You’re welcome.
Haaa Nemui
Errr, no… it was from across the river. Unlikely Ukraine, but I don’t think it was a false flag either. I’m sure it was one of Putin’s many opponents inside Russia. A Russian false flag operation would make Moscow look vulnerable, and an assassination attempt by Ukraine would show that Moscow is more vulnerable now than it was at any time before Putin invaded.
TaiwanIsNotChina
I'm still waiting for a logical explanation how Ukraine is responsible but but the air defenses are solid. Nah, honestly I am just ignoring what comes out of the Russia media circus until they are defeated.
theFu
Since the Russian invasion into Ukraine in 2014, any military building in Russia has been a legitimate military target for Ukraine.
I really don't care if Ukraine tied it or not. Russia is in invasion force without any provocation. Russian leaders are wrong and need to be held accountable for their decisions and the actions of their military in Ukraine.
If they were going to try and take out Putin, I'd suggest hitting every place he is known to be concurrently.
It is good for Russians to feel the same fear that all Ukraine has felt for years now.
Antiquesaving
Saw nothing logical only your feelings.
Again logical, you do understand the meaning of logical, right?
starpunk
Awww, whatsa madder? First Putin launches this illegal war with his lies and excuses. Then it turns out to be not as easy as he thought it would be. Now he's crying wolf. 'Teeee-chuh! Ukraine is trying to kick my bu-uuutt!! Waaahhhh'.
CAN it, Vladimir Chump! You started this crap. You made the bed, you lie in it.
Antiquesaving
So you admit you have no logical explanation or facts just deflection.
OK
rainyday
I’m still waiting for a logical explanation for why Moscow would make itself look incompetent by…well, pretty much everything it has done in Ukraine since February of last year.
This is pretty small fries in comparison.
Desert Tortoise
Any day now a Russian blogger is going to post a video taken from a camera on their quadcopter as it flies over the Kremlin and maybe lands on a flat area of the roof.
MiuraAnjin
AS: Not even the Kremlin is claiming the drones flew all the way from Ukraine. They were tiny. No matter who deployed them, they will have taken off close to their target.
EFD
Also a reasonable possibility.
In any event this explanation or a false flag operation are wholly more believable than the idea that the UA would “poke the bear” (to use the terminology of one of the Moscow midget’s fan-bois) with such a low probability attempt on someone they knew not to even be there. The UA had good intel that Puttie was in St Petersburg.
2020hindsights
Antiquesaving
A car bomb would cause actual damage, and risk killing people.
Fredrik
Why blame Ukraine? There are others with motive for such an attack, even within Russia itself.
Wick's pencil
Maybe the neocons are planning to get rid of Zelensky. Now they can do it and say Putin did it in retaliation for the Kremlin attack.
rainyday
Ah yes, the old double false flag switcheroo play.
I’m guessing the Putin fanboys pushing back indignantly on the idea this was a Russian false flag because it would be so illogical are nodding in agreement with this idea.