"Kremlin Palace Terror Attack May Be Russian False Flag: US War Research Institute"

Russia Strengthened Air Defense Capabilities Months Ago
ISW: "Terror Executed Too Cleanly"
"Shows Intended Political Effect"

On the 3rd (local time), there was a claim that the drone terror attack that took place at the Kremlin in Russia might have been a 'false flag' operation by Russia itself.

According to the British media outlet The Guardian on the same day, the U.S. security think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) analyzed the circumstances of the terror attack and reached this conclusion.

ISW pointed to "indicators suggesting that the attack was carried out internally and planned deliberately," citing Russia's recent significant reinforcement of Moscow's air defense system and its response methods as evidence.

In fact, earlier this year, the Russian military installed the short-range air defense system Pantsir-S1 near the Kremlin. This system can detect small flying objects tens of kilometers away and shoot missiles to shoot them down.

Regarding this, ISW explained, "Russian authorities have recently taken measures to strengthen their air defense capabilities within the country, including Moscow. Therefore, the possibility that two drones penetrated multiple layers of air defense and exploded or were shot down right above the heart of the Kremlin is low." This points out that considering Moscow's air defense capabilities, the terror attack was executed too cleanly.

The drone that exploded on the 3rd (local time) at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, the capital of Russia. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

They added, "The Kremlin's response to this incident was immediate, consistent, and coordinated," and "this shows that the intended political effect outweighs the embarrassment."

Meanwhile, the Kremlin issued a statement on the same day claiming, "Ukraine attempted a drone attack on the presidential residence at the Kremlin," and "two drones targeted the Kremlin, but the military neutralized them by properly using electronic warfare systems."

They also added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was unharmed, and there was no damage to the building from fragments or other causes.

The Kremlin considers this attack an 'act of terrorism' and pointed to Ukraine as the culprit. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed, "This was an attempt by Ukraine to target the life of the Russian president," and "the terrorist act occurred ahead of the Victory Day celebrations and the commemorative parade on the 9th."

On the other hand, Ukraine immediately denied these claims. The Ukrainian presidential office told the U.S. CNN network, "We have no knowledge of Russia's claims, and Ukraine does not attack other countries but only uses all means to defend our territory," rebutting the accusations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.