Putin attempting to downplay drone attack on Moscow – ISW

Russian President Vladimir Putin has attempted to downplay the drone attack on Moscow to avoid exposing the limited options he has to retaliate against Ukraine, which the Kremlin blames for the attack.

This is said in a new report released by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), according to Ukrinform.

Putin insinuated that the drone strike on Moscow was Kyiv’s response to Russian strikes, and the Russian Ministry of Defense conveniently claimed on May 30 that Russian forces carried out “a group of strikes with long-range high-precision air-launched weapons at main decision-making centers” in Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of attacking Moscow with eight drones on the morning of May 30, and claimed that Russian forces shot down five of the drones and suppressed three drones with electronic warfare systems.

Putin stated that Ukraine is trying to provoke a response and make Russia “mirror” its actions.

The ISW report says that the Kremlin head attempted to downplay the drone attack on Moscow to avoid exposing “the limited options he has to retaliate against Ukraine.”

Putin’s emphasis on past and ongoing missile strikes is likely an attempt to signal that Russia is already actively retaliating and does not need to respond to further “Ukrainian provocations.”

Putin has consistently retaliated against genuine and purported Ukrainian actions by ordering massive missile and drone campaigns, likely due to Russian forces’ inability to achieve any decisive effects on the battlefield.

As reported by Ukrinform, according to Russian media, about 25 drones attacked Moscow and Moscow region, most of them were shot down by air defense in Moscow region, some of the drones got caught in trees and wires because they were flying at an extremely low altitude. Three drones crashed into residential buildings, but one of them did not detonate an explosive.

The Investigative Committee of Russia said that its employees are investigating "the facts of unmanned aerial vehicles falling on buildings in Moscow" on the spot.