Amid unease in Moscow, Putin seeks to project calm after drone attack
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Several hours after dozens of enemy drones infiltrated the Russian capital, damaging two residential buildings, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared unfazed before reporters, acting as if nothing unusual had happened. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia’s war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Fielding a question that was clearly scripted, at an event to promote “creative” industries such as fashion, filmmaking, video game development and jewelry design, Putin played down the attack, saying that Moscow’s air defense system had worked “properly.”
“Although there is still work to be done,” he added, noting that Russian forces had faced “the same problems” at Hmeimim air base in Syria.
Putin’s nonchalant attitude, and a similarly muted statement by the Kremlin on Wednesday, showed the Russian leadership doing its utmost to project a sense of calm and control, despite the brazen drone attack, which prompted a journalist from Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency to ask whether there were plans to introduce martial law as demanded by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said there were no discussions about martial law. Instead of addressing the sense of alarm, after the first strike on civilian areas in Moscow since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, Peskov complained that the West had not criticized the attack.
“We would have preferred to hear words of condemnation from London and Washington after the drone attack on Moscow, but saw once again the absence of any condemnation,” he said.
Putin, while not displaying concern, had even harsher words for the West on Tuesday. He used the question about the drone strike to unleash a rambling, seven-minute tirade, in which he falsely insisted Russia was not responsible for the war.
Referring to “that territory known as Ukraine,” Putin said: “It is clear that no matter what we say, they will always look for the guilty precisely in Russia, but this is not so. We did not unleash this war, I repeat, in 2014 — the Kyiv regime unleashed a war in the Donbas.” In fact, it was Russia who sent troops to foment a separatist war.
Putin also alleged without evidence that Ukraine was planning to disrupt operations at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is located in territory now occupied by Russian troops, and he asserted that Ukraine was planning to use “dirty” explosive devices with radioactive material. “We have already talked about this many times: We know what they have in mind,” he said.
Analysts said Putin was trying to prevent panic among his population and to distract from weaknesses in Russia’s defenses.
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“Translated from Putin into Russian, his speech means that the Kremlin will continue to pretend that everything is in order and that nothing dramatic is happening,” independent Russian journalist Farida Rustamova, who closely covers Putin and the Kremlin, wrote on her Telegram page. “They want Russians not to worry too much.”
Ukraine has denied any involvement in the drone attack — and senior officials repeated those denials on Wednesday — as well as a host of similar drone strikes in recent months. Early Wednesday morning, drones reportedly detonated at an oil refinery in the Russia’s Krasnodar region — the latest incident after four previous attempts this month.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, repeated the denials on Wednesday in an interview with The Washington Post, claiming it was pointless for his country to attack Russian territory.
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“The processes are already going on there without our participation, and they will continue,” Podolyak said. “Russia is very weak on the inside.” He added, “The power vertical is gradually falling apart, and there are people who are ready to take machine guns, go shoot, blow up, plant mines, and so on.”
But there is little doubt that Ukraine is supporting these attacks, and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly cheered them.
Serhiy Prytula, a Ukrainian former television star whose charity has been buying up drones for use by the Ukrainians, posted a video on Tuesday in which he posed in front of several drones and said, “Russians, two can play this game.” In a caption, he noted that the video was from Jan. 10 but a “prophetic one,” he wrote with a wink. “Welcome to the new era, Moscow!”
Russia’s Defense Ministry initially said that eight plane-style drones had been deployed in the attack — and that all had been intercepted. But Russian media outlets reported higher numbers, ranging from 10 to more than 30. Videos on social media showed downed drones burning in fields and flying over the capital’s expensive, elite neighborhoods
In one video, a man can be heard shouting, “It’s flying right over our house!” The two residential buildings that suffered minor fire damage and had broken windows were located on Moscow’s periphery. No serious injuries were reported.
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On Wednesday, reactions appeared mixed among Muscovites interviewed by The Post. Some seemed unconcerned, while others admitted to being frightened.
Elena, 49, whose surname The Post is withholding for security reasons, lives opposite the residential building that was hit on Leninskiy Prospekt, on the southwest periphery of Moscow.
Elena said she slept through the attack but woke up when the building’s residents were evacuated. She described a “strange” scene of people looking frightened and tired, filing into buses and clutching their belongings.
“It was shocking that one of the drones almost hit our building,” she said in an interview. “The war is very close now. For me personally it has always been very close and I knew that this attack was soon to come. But for many people that realization has not come through yet, unfortunately.”
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Elena added that many residents “are angry” and blame the authorities and air defense for not preventing the attack.
“I think many people got nervous yesterday,” Elena said. “No one can be prepared for such an event; no amount of propaganda will reassure you. … There is a feeling of both absolute apathy and insecurity.”
In early May, two drones were intercepted over the Kremlin in an unsuccessful attack that Moscow blamed on Ukraine and claimed was an attempt to assassinate Putin. He was not in the building at the time.
Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said Wednesday that while many Russians have chosen to ignore the war and enjoy the warm weather, “nevertheless, Ukraine had at least reminded them.”
“Muscovites can only to a small extent feel what the inhabitants of Ukrainian cities feel, but this is enough to make them think a little,” Kolesnikov said. “If the drones turn out to be not an isolated case — a reminder that hostilities are nearby, already in the capital, which means that Putin is not omnipotent — then this may indeed sway public opinion somewhat in favor of starting peace negotiations.”
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Some politicians and pro-war hawks criticized Moscow’s failure for allowing drones to enter the capital’s airspace and demanded harsher retaliation.
“What are you doing? Get … out of the offices you’ve been put in to defend this country,” Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin yelled in an incendiary, profanity-laced criticism of Russia’s Defense Ministry, which he published in a voice note to Telegram. “Why … are you allowing these drones to fly to Moscow?” He added: “What are ordinary people supposed to do when drones with explosives crash into their windows?”
Petr Tolstoy, the vice speaker of the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, meanwhile, called for the occupation of Kyiv. “To stop the shelling of Moscow, it is necessary to occupy Kyiv,” Tolstoy said.: We need to mobilize all forces and means.”
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Moscow tried to capture the Ukrainian capital last year but failed.
Tuesday’s attack on Moscow also highlighted a difference of opinion among Ukraine’s Western supporters.
While the United States has asked Zelensky and Ukraine’s Defense Ministry not to use American weapons or equipment for attacks on Russian territory, other countries suggested Ukraine was justified. During a visit to Estonia on Tuesday, U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Ukraine had the right to “project force” beyond its own borders.
Ebel reported from London, Abbakumova from Riga, Latvia and Schmidt and Koshiw from Kyiv, Ukraine.
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Source: The Washington Post
