(tense music)
- [Reporter] A flying object crashed
into the Kremlin in early May.
A few weeks later, several residential buildings
were hit in Moscow.
While Russia's strikes are almost a daily reality
for the Ukrainian capital Kyiv,
(bomb explodes)
these are the first drone assaults on Russia's capital
since the war in Ukraine began.
- The population in big cities like Moscow
and St. Petersburg have been somewhat insulated
from this war.
And now, it's basically come to their doorstep.
- [Reporter] The Wall Street Journal
analyzed social media clips of the attacks and spoke
with drone experts to understand what happened
and what it means for Russia's involvements in the war.
(bright music)
This video on May 3rd
appears to show one of two drones
seconds before it was shot down over the Kremlin,
according to the Russian government.
An aviation analyst with defense intelligence firm, Janes,
said it could have been a small drone up to 10 feet across,
most likely launched from Russian territory.
Other aviation experts the Journal spoke with
suggested the aircraft had a larger wingspan
with a possible flying range in the hundreds of miles,
enough to cover the distance
between Moscow and Ukrainian territory.
Several drones could fit that description
including the Ukrainian UJ-22
and the Chinese-made Mugin-5 used by both sides.
(drone explodes)
On May 30th, a drone crashed outside the Russian capital
and several more drones struck
at least three residential buildings In Moscow.
One verified social media video captured a drone
with a peculiar airframe design.
Experts say it seemed to have a push mechanism
with a propeller in the back.
This drone is visually consistent with a type
of kamikaze drone recently reported on in Ukraine,
according to news agency, Storyful.
Known as Beaver, it is a self-initiated drone project
by a Ukrainian blogger.
However, some experts note that the shape
of the new drone is slightly different
from the one filmed outside the Russian capital.
Military experts say it's impossible to tell
from the footage who launched the attacks,
whether it was the Ukrainian military,
or a pro Ukrainian group working inside Russia.
In both cases, Russia blamed Kyiv.
- (Putin speaks foreign language)
- [Reporter] And Ukraine denied the allegations.
- (Mykhailo speaks foreign language)
- One American drone expert said that use of drones
which can fly hundreds of miles
could also indicate military involvement
in the construction and development of those drones.
The attacks on Moscow have raised questions
about Russia's air defense abilities.
- (Putin speaks foreign language)
- [Reporter] Some military experts say
the attacks demonstrate that Russian airspace
is not secure and that it's possible
to evade some of its air defenses.
They added that unlike other more damaging attacks
that targeted military bases and oil depots
on Russian territory, the drone strikes on Moscow
were largely psychological and symbolic.
- There'll certainly be an impact on the Russian psyche
because very much in these big cities,
people have felt that they are untouched,
almost, by this war.
- (Olga speaks foreign language)
- (Natalya speaks foreign language)
- The government has used these attacks, basically to say,
"See, this is why we are taking action in Ukraine."
But this has been somewhat of a wake up call
for the population.
There are recent polls that show
that one of the main topics that Russians think about today
is the war, that is very different to, say nine months ago,
when, in the big cities in particular, in Moscow,
people were very much going about their daily lives.
- [Reporter] One military expert said
the Kremlin is trying to downplay the impacts
of the attacks on the capital.
But if they continue, the question is whether
the Kremlin will manage to convince the population
to accept this as a new norm.