Russia's repeated allusions to the use of nuclear weapons after what it said was a drone strike on the Kremlin make Russian leaders "look like clowns," according to Wagner Group chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin's press service said in a statement that Ukraine's government "attempted a drone strike" and an "assassination" against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) "crashed" in the Kremlin grounds, but did not cause any damage or result in casualties, the Kremlin said. "Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures wherever and whenever it deems appropriate," the Kremlin added.
Kyiv promptly denied any involvement. "We don't attack Putin or Moscow, we fight on our territory," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky's chief of staff, echoed Zelensky's words, adding on Twitter that "Ukraine wages an exclusively defensive war and does not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation" because "this does not solve any military issue."
Following the incident, some Russian officials appeared to suggest the use of retaliatory nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the Russian State Duma, wrote on Telegram that "we will demand the use of weapons capable of stopping and destroying" Ukraine.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and current deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, also wrote on Telegram that "there are no options left except for the physical elimination of Zelensky and his cabal."
Responding to a press query on social media, Prigozhin said that the "use of nuclear weapons in response to a drone, of course, is out of the question."
Russia should prioritize becoming the "leading power" in UAV development and "respond with exactly the same drones," Prigozhin said in a statement.
"We look like clowns" threatening nuclear retaliation against "a children's drone," Prigozhin added.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment via email.
Prigozhin heads the Wagner mercenary forces, which have played a prominent role in Russia's operations in Ukraine. An influential Putin ally, Prigozhin has publicly clashed with Russia's military command and the Russian defense ministry.
In their statement, the Kremlin said it considered the incident "a planned terrorist attack and an assassination attempt targeting the President, carried out ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade, where foreign guests are expected to be present, among others," adding that Putin was unharmed.
Victory Day in Russia commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and is an important national holiday.
On Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was considering a "wide variety" of responses, according to the Russian state news agency, Tass.
"Naturally, I cannot provide you any details here," Peskov added. "In any case, the issue may only be about well-thought-out steps that meet the interests of our country."
However, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said on Wednesday that "several indicators suggest that the strike was internally conducted and purposefully staged" by Russian authorities. It is likely an "attempt to bring the war home to a Russian domestic audience," the think tank added.
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Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
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