White House speaks out after "UAV attack targeting the Kremlin"

The Russian presidential office announced on May 3 that two small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down over President Vladimir Putin's working area using electronic warfare measures.

According to RT, the Kremlin described the attack as a pre-planned terrorist act by Ukrainian forces and a plot against Mr. Putin.

Mỹ không khuyến khích Ukraine tấn công Nga - Ảnh 1.

A flying object exploded near the dome of a building in Moscow, Russia on May 3. Photo: Reuters

Ukrainian forces have launched multiple attacks on Russian territory since Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine began last year. Each time, U.S. officials have said they neither encourage nor support such attacks. Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder said in February that Ukraine’s course of action was up to them.

US officials have made a similar argument to explain their reluctance to provide Ukraine with longer-range missiles, such as the ATACMS missiles used with the HIMARS rocket artillery systems supplied to Kiev by the US. With a range of 300 km, Ukrainian forces could use these missiles to target areas on Russia’s borders, though not Moscow.

However, Ukraine may have used some of the weapons supplied by the US to attack Russian territory. US-made Switchblade drones were reportedly used to target the Belgorod region. It is unclear what equipment was used in the May 3 attack on the Kremlin, but the US sent Ukraine an unspecified number of Altius 600 “kamikaze” drones earlier this month.

These drones can carry a 3kg warhead and have a range of 445km – just enough to reach Moscow from northeastern Ukraine.

Responding to the attack in Moscow, the Kremlin said Russia reserved the right to retaliate "wherever and whenever necessary." While Putin's office did not provide any information about the retaliation, senior Russian lawmaker Vyacheslav Volodin called on the Kremlin to use "weapons capable of stopping and destroying the Kiev government."

According to Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev had nothing to do with the incident. President Zelensky said: "We are not attacking Mr. Putin, or Moscow, we are fighting on our own territory."

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to Mr Zelensky, called the Russian accusations a sign that the Kremlin was planning a major attack on Ukraine. Shortly after the Kremlin’s announcement, Ukraine also went on alert for airstrikes on the capital Kiev and other cities.

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