Ukraine was probably behind Kremlin drone attack, NYT quotes US officials

Moscow, May 25

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A drone attack on the Kremlin this month was probably orchestrated by one of Ukraine’s special military or intelligence units, assessments by US spy agencies show, the New York Times said.

The newspaper said the attack appeared to be part of a series of covert operations that have made officials in the United States — Ukraine’s biggest supplier of military equipment — uncomfortable.

The US assessment was based on intercepted Russian and Ukrainian communications, the paper said.

The United States intercepted Ukrainian conversations in which officials said they believed their country was responsible for the attack and also intercepted Russian communications which indicated it was not some sort of false-flag operation by Russia, it added.

US officials said they do not believe Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signs off on all covert operation, the paper said. It is unclear to what extent he is aware of such operations in advance, the officials were quoted as saying.

Russia accused Ukraine of trying to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin in the attack. Zelenskiy promptly denied any Ukrainian involvement.

The Kremlin said the United States was behind the drone attack, a view Washington dismissed as ridiculous.