May 4, 2023

The Russian presidential administration announced on Wednesday that Ukraine attempted a drone strike against the residence of the President of the Russian Federation at the Kremlin. Sergey Nikiforov, the spokesperson of the Ukrainian President, denied Ukraine's involvement in the alleged strike. 

The nature of the alleged drone attack is very serious. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, there has never been a public attack on the Kremlin or an attempted assassination on Vladimir Putin. The main targets of previous attacks were military facilities and important infrastructure. "This time, the alleged attack crossed the tacit red line set by both sides," said Zhang Hong, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

After the drone attack, who did it and whether Russia will attack Ukraine's presidential palace in retaliation has become the biggest suspense. After all, the drones traveled a long distance and managed to reach the Kremlin, whether they were launched inside Ukraine or within Russian territory. This action is both a shock and a warning. Analysts believe its purpose is to threaten Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine and strike a blow to Russia's confidence.

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