Ukrainians were likely behind Kremlin drone attack, US officials say.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/us/po...20services.
U.S. officials said the drone attack on the Kremlin earlier this month was likely orchestrated by one of Ukraine’s special military or intelligence units, the latest in a series of covert actions against Russian targets that have unnerved the Biden administration.
The agencies reached their preliminary assessment in part through intercepted communications in which Russian officials blamed Ukraine and other communications in which Ukrainian officials said they believed their country was responsible for the attack, in which two drones were flown on May 3 toward the Kremlin, causing little damage.
The attack appeared to be part of a series of operations that have made officials in the United States — Ukraine’s biggest supplier of military equipment — uncomfortable. The Biden administration is concerned about the risk that Russia will blame U.S. officials and retaliate by expanding the war beyond Ukraine.
Some U.S. officials initially considered the possibility that the Kremlin drone attack might have been carried out by the Russian government in a “false flag” operation designed to provide Moscow with a pretext to escalate the conflict.
But after the attack, the United States intercepted communications in which Russian officials were overheard discussing the incident and the findings of Moscow’s preliminary investigation into what took place. In those internal discussions, Russian officials seemed surprised by the drone intrusion and blamed Ukraine. U.S. officials said this intelligence helped convince them that the attack was not carried out by the Russians.
The United States also intercepted Ukrainian conversations in which officials said they believed that their country was responsible for the attack. But these officials appeared to have no knowledge of who within the Ukrainian system might have planned or carried it out.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/us/po...20services.
U.S. officials said the drone attack on the Kremlin earlier this month was likely orchestrated by one of Ukraine’s special military or intelligence units, the latest in a series of covert actions against Russian targets that have unnerved the Biden administration.
The agencies reached their preliminary assessment in part through intercepted communications in which Russian officials blamed Ukraine and other communications in which Ukrainian officials said they believed their country was responsible for the attack, in which two drones were flown on May 3 toward the Kremlin, causing little damage.
The attack appeared to be part of a series of operations that have made officials in the United States — Ukraine’s biggest supplier of military equipment — uncomfortable. The Biden administration is concerned about the risk that Russia will blame U.S. officials and retaliate by expanding the war beyond Ukraine.
Some U.S. officials initially considered the possibility that the Kremlin drone attack might have been carried out by the Russian government in a “false flag” operation designed to provide Moscow with a pretext to escalate the conflict.
But after the attack, the United States intercepted communications in which Russian officials were overheard discussing the incident and the findings of Moscow’s preliminary investigation into what took place. In those internal discussions, Russian officials seemed surprised by the drone intrusion and blamed Ukraine. U.S. officials said this intelligence helped convince them that the attack was not carried out by the Russians.
The United States also intercepted Ukrainian conversations in which officials said they believed that their country was responsible for the attack. But these officials appeared to have no knowledge of who within the Ukrainian system might have planned or carried it out.
