‘Physical elimination of Zelenskyy’: How the drone attack on the Kremlin could be trigger for bloodier war

Wednesday may go down as one of the most memorable days in the 14-month war between Russia and Ukraine after Moscow claimed that Kyiv had launched two drones in an attempt to assassinate Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian government has denied any involvement in the attack, declaring it knew nothing about the incident. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in Helsinki at the time, said in a press conference, “We are not attacking Putin or Moscow. We are fighting on our own territory, defending our villages and cities. We do not have enough weapons even for this. That is why we do not use them elsewhere. We have a deficit. We cannot use everything and everywhere.” Experts are still trying to unravel the events of the day and the implications of the attack? Some fear it may lead to more fighting. Others believe that it was a false flag operation by Moscow to garner more support. What is the truth? We try to unravel the mystery around the attack on Wednesday and get you all the answers. What happened Wednesday? Numerous videos published on Russian social media platforms showed two objects striking the highest point in the Kremlin complex, with the nearby Spassky Tower showing 2:27 and 2:43 in the early hours of Wednesday. While the first was destroyed with little more than a puff of smoke, the second appeared to leave a blazing wreck on the dome. Shortly after, Russia in a statement said, “The Kyiv regime attempted a drone strike on the Kremlin residence of the president of the Russian Federation. We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the president of the Russian Federation, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the 9 May parade.”

But was Putin present in the Kremlin at the time of the attack? Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti that the Russian strongman was not in the Kremlin at the time of the attack and was working out of his Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow. The Kremlin added that the president’s schedule was unaffected. Moreover, the attack caused no casualties. The Kremlin later stated that it was opening a terrorism probe into the attack and accused Ukraine of a “terrorist” assassination attempt. Also read: When Russian president Vladimir Putin survived assassination attempts “The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case on terrorism in connection with an attempt to strike the Kremlin residence of the President of Russia,” the committee, which probes major crimes, said in a statement. How Ukraine reacted? The attack soon became a case of ‘he said, she said’ with Ukraine denying any involvement in the attack, and, in fact, accusing Moscow of carrying it out to justify their aggression. Zelenskyy in Helsinki told reporters that such an attack was not possible by Kyiv and that “they didn’t attack Putin or Moscow.” Also read: Who is to blame for the drone attack on the Kremlin? Ukraine presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that such an attack had little strategic gain for Kyiv. “We do not attack the Kremlin because, first of all, it does not solve any military problems. Absolutely. And this is extremely disadvantageous from the point of view of preparing our offensive measures,” he said. “And most importantly, it would allow Russia to justify massive strikes on Ukrainian cities, on the civilian population, on infrastructure facilities. Why do we need this?” [caption id=“attachment_12545372” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A sign prohibiting unmanned aerial vehicles flying over the area is on display near the State Historical Museum and the Kremlin wall in central Moscow. Reuters[/caption] A false flag operation? With Ukraine denying involvement in the attack and questioning the gains from such an attack, many experts are stating that this could actually be a false flag operation by Moscow to garner support ahead of the 9 May parade. The US, while not going as far as calling it a false flag operation, expressed scepticism over it. “I’ve seen the reports. I cannot validate them, we simply don’t know,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at an event in Washington. “I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt.” The US Senate intel chair was also of the opinion that there was no indication that Ukraine was behind the attack. US Senator Mark Warner was quoted by the CNN as saying, “We still don’t have much information. At least at this point, no indication it was sourced by the Ukrainians.” Two officials speaking to CNN also added that Ukraine had privately reiterating to the White House the country was not involved in the alleged drone attack in Moscow. John Spencer, the chair of urban warfare at West Point’s Modern War Institute, said that the incident pointed to being a false flag operation, meaning Russia may itself have staged the attack in order to justify a significant increase in hostilities as part of its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In a tweet, he wrote, “Think twice about this. 1) Russia lies more than truth 2) Russia needs such an attack to justify continuing their illegal war in Ukraine 3) Ukraine not that stupid, no military target in Kremlin 4) Plenty want Putin dead.” Shashank Joshi, defence editor for UK-based current affairs newspaper The Economist, told the ABC he is keeping an open mind. “The Kremlin has a long history of staging such incidents in order to justify the war or justify some provocation,” he said, adding, “We’ve seen this going back to the very early years of Vladimir Putin’s time in office, and we saw this at the beginning of this war as well. So I emphasise it could be a Kremlin provocation.” James Nixey of London’s Chatham House think tank told Reuters that, if it was a “false flag” operation, “it reeks of desperation… And it’s a high-risk strategy likely to be exposed.” [caption id=“attachment_12545392” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The electronic news ticker of Fox News reads at the News Corp Building in New York City. Reuters[/caption] What happens next? The alleged attack does not bode well for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Indications are that Moscow will use this incident to step up attacks and as this report was being published they had already started doing so. In fact hours after the Kremlin strike, Moscow’s troops began “massive shelling” of Kherson city and other areas in the region. According to the Ukrainian president, the death toll from Moscow’s assaults on the southern Ukrainian region today now sits at 21, while 48 others are reportedly injured. In a tweet in the evening he said: “A railway station and a crossing, a house, a hardware store, a grocery supermarket, a gas station – do you know what unites these places? The bloody trail that [Russia] leaves with its shells.” On Wednesday after the incident, the Kremlin released a statement that said, “Russia reserves the right to retaliate anywhere and anytime it deems necessary in response to the drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s residence.” Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who has been a vocal proponent of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, called for the “physical elimination” of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “After today’s terrorist attack, there are no options left aside the physical elimination of Zelenskyy and his cabal,” said Medvedev. These sentiments were also echoed by the Russian parliament. State Duma deputy from the Crimean region Mikhail Sheremet called for a missile strike on the residence of Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin called for the use of “weapons capable of stopping and destroying the Kyiv terrorist regime”. Following the attack, the US embassy in Ukraine also warned of “an ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks,” including in Kyiv. “In light of the recent uptick in strikes across Ukraine and inflammatory rhetoric from Moscow, the Department of State cautions US citizens of an ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks, including in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast,” the embassy said in a security alert. In the alert, the embassy urged Americans “to observe air alarms, shelter appropriately, follow guidance from local authorities,” and take actions like immediately seeking shelter inside or going to the lowest level of their buildings “with the fewest exterior walls, windows, and openings; close any doors and sit near an interior wall, away from any windows or openings.” This was the first such alert that the US embassy has issued since 23 February, the day before the one year anniversary of the start of the war. There are some experts who opine that Ukraine might have been behind the attack, but it wasn’t an assassination attempt as much as a show of strength. As Mick Mulroy, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defence and CIA officer, told the BBC: :This may have been to show the Russian people that they can be hit anywhere and that the war they started in Ukraine may eventually come home to Russia, even the capital.” We are unsure of what will happen next, but it seems that peace in the area now is a distant dream. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.