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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

The Kremlin Drone Attack Is Linked To Ukraine’s Counter-Offensive — No Matter Who Did It

Whether Ukraine or Russia is behind the clamorous attack on the Kremlin, which Moscow says was an assassination attempt against Vladimir Putin, it is bound to shape the imminent counter-offensive.

Screenshot of video showing a drone exploding over the Kremlin residence

A drone exploding over the Kremlin residence

Valentyna Romanenko, Oleksandr Shumilin

This article has been updated May 3, at 8:45 p.m. CET, with Zelensky quote and additional background

-Analysis-

KYIV — The stakes could not be higher. The alleged drone attack on the Kremlin — whether Kyiv or Moscow ordered it — means that the Russia-Ukraine war is reaching a new level.

A video began circulating Wednesday afternoon of what the Russian authorities said were two Ukrainian drones that "tried to strike" the Kremlin residence and assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader was not on the premises, and no injuries or material damage was reported.

The Kremlin called the attack a "planned terrorist act" and "an attempt on the life of the President of Russia,” adding that "the Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit."


The Mediazona publication published a video of the attack, which was posted by residents of the nearby Yakimanka district of the Russian capital. The telegram channel of the district reports that local residents saw sparks in the sky above the Kremlin and heard a loud sound that "was similar in strength to a thunderclap."

Ukraine's position on the attack

It is notable that such a clamorous incident linked directly to Putin comes amid reports that Ukraine may be launching a major counter-offensive against Russia’s invading troops. Sources in Kyiv have denied any responsibility, and alluded to Moscow being behind the incident, described as a “trick” to justify an outsized response.

"We have no information about the so-called overnight attack on the Kremlin,” Serhii Nykyforov, spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Later, Zelensky flatly denied Kyiv's involvement: "We don't attack Putin or Moscow," Zelensky said during a news conference in Helsinki. "We fight on our territory, we are defending our villages and cities."

Yet whether Moscow or Kyiv orchestrated the Kremlin attack, the imminent counter-offensive that Ukraine has been planning would appear to be central to the calculation.

If Ukraine was indeed able to deploy a drone so deep inside Russian territory, aimed directly at Putin, it could be a way to unsettle the Kremlin and stoke internal divisions in Moscow as the counter-offensive begins.

A pretext for Moscow?

Instead, the incident may wind up turning out to be a so-called "false flag" attack, used as a pretext for Moscow to go after Ukrainian civilian targets. Top Zelensky advisor Mikhail Podolyak put forward that scenario late Wednesday, warning that Russia is “planning a large-scale terrorist attack.”

I think that the Ukrainian army’s offensive has already begun.

Moscow has been stepping up attacks on Ukrainian territory, including those aimed at weapons supply centers. At least 16 civilians were killed Wednesday in heavy shelling in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kherson.

If Russian forces are outmatched on the battlefield, attacking cities and innocent civilians could be seen as a last-ditch tactic to avoid defeat.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s Wagner Group private military company, whose forces are fighting in eastern Ukraine, declared on Wednesday that he believes the "active phase" of the Ukrainian counter-offensive is about to begin.

"I think that the Ukrainian army’s offensive has already begun. We are seeing increased activity of enemy aircraft, increased activity around the perimeter of, and inside, our front,” he said. “Though we continue to control the inside of our front, the situation around the perimeter is unfortunately not looking so good. Our flanks…how reliable are they? I will not say anything about that for now.”

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eyes on the U.S.

A Foreign Eye On America's Stunning Drop In Life Expectancy

Over the past two years, the United States has lost more than two years of life expectancy, wiping out 26 years of progress. French daily Les Echos investigates the myriad of causes, which are mostly resulting in the premature deaths of young people.

Image of a person holding the national flag of the United States in front of a grave.

A person holding the national flag of the United States in front of a grave.

Hortense Goulard


On May 6, a gunman opened fire in a Texas supermarket, killing eight people, including several children, before being shot dead by police. Particularly bloody, this episode is not uncommon in the U.S.: it is the 22nd mass killing (resulting in the death of more than four people) this year.

Gun deaths are one reason why life expectancy is falling in the U.S. But it's not the only one. Last December, the American authorities confirmed that life expectancy at birth had fallen significantly in just two years: from 78.8 years in 2019, it would be just 76.1 years in 2021.

The country has thus dropped to a level not reached since 1996. This is equivalent to erasing 26 years of progress.Life expectancy has declined in other parts of the world as a result of the pandemic, but the U.S. remains the developed country with the steepest decline — and the only one where this trend has not been reversed with the advent of vaccines. Most shocking of all: this decline is linked above all to an increase in violent deaths among the youngest members of the population.

Five-year-olds living in the U.S. have a one in 25 chance of dying before their 40th birthday, according to calculations by The Financial Times. For other developed countries, including France, this rate is closer to one in 100. Meanwhile, the life expectancy of a 75-year-old American differs little from that of other OECD countries.

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