Russia on Thursday said the U.S. was to blame for an alleged drone attack upon the Kremlin.
One day before, the Kremlin accused Ukraine of an assassination attempt upon Russian President Vladimir Putin. By Thursday Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had pointed his finger across the Atlantic.
“We are well aware that decisions on such a level of terrorist attacks are made not in Kyiv, but in Washington,” he said in his daily briefing with reporters. “Kyiv only does what it is told to do.”
The Biden Administration adamantly denied the assertion.
“I can assure you, there was no involvement by the United States, and this, whatever it was, didn’t involve us,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on MSNBC Thursday morning, adding, “Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple.”
On Wednesday Kyiv had also denied involvement in the attack.
“Ukraine has nothing to do with drone attacks on the Kremlin,” presidential spokesperson Mikhaylo Podolyak said. “Ukraine does not attack the Kremlin because, firstly, that does not solve any military aims.”
He further suggested the attack was “staged” by Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky added his denial to the assertions on Wednesday, saying during a news conference on a surprise trip to Finland, “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.”
It remained unclear how much credibility to put behind any of Moscow’s claims, as the Kremlin is known for having perpetrated false flag attacks early in the war.
Last August, a Russian opposition leader took credit for a car bomb that killed Moscow propagandist Darya Dugina, who was also the daughter of a prominent ultranationalist Russian. There had been speculation early in that investigation that the bombing was another Russian false flag as the Kremlin had also initially blamed Kyiv at the time.
The alleged drone strike can be seen here. It occurred just ahead of Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which annually is one of the biggest celebrations in Russia, marking its defeat of the Nazis in World War II.
