Moscow has accused the United States of being behind a drone strike on the Kremlin on 29 April, allegedly aimed at assassinating President Vladimir Putin. Despite initially blaming Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that evidence pointed towards American involvement. The US and Ukraine both denied the allegation, with the White House insisting it could not confirm the strike’s legitimacy.
While Putin was absent from the palace at the time of the attack, the Kremlin has described it as a declaration of war, threatening to retaliate against the US. The incident follows a growing sense of animosity between the two nations over the conflict in Ukraine, with Russia increasingly seeing the US as an active participant in the war.
In response to the attack on the Kremlin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has pledged to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces occupying the nation. This will be led by the Wagner Group mercenaries, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who claim they have already begun. Russia has fired two dozen combat drones at Ukraine over the past week, attacking Kyiv and the Black Sea city of Odesa. Meanwhile, Russian forces have been accused of targeting civilians and damaging a power station in the Donetsk region.
The situation risks further escalating tensions in the region, with hardline Russian officials including former President Dmitry Medvedev calling for Zelensky to be “physically eliminated”. Ukraine has responded by calling for Putin to be brought to justice for war crimes.
Despite claims of a serious assassination attempt, various security experts have poured scorn on the veracity of this claim. There are concerns that the tensions could lead to wider military confrontation between the two nations. The US has denied Russia’s accusations, stating it is only providing arms to Ukraine to defend itself and reclaim occupied territory.
Amidst international tensions, the Russian economy has seen a boost in car sales, rising 170% YoY in April, according to data from Autostat.
