into CNN.
The Russians now accusing
Ukraine of trying to assassinate
president Putin.
The Kremlin says that two
Ukrainian drones were flown
towards the Kremlin last night.
A statement released moments
ago, they say, quote, we regard
these actions as a planned
terrorist act an attempt on the
president's life.
It also says Russia reserves the
right to take retolltory
measures where and when sees
fit.
Putin was not in the Kremlin at
the time this happened.
Nic Robertson is live in eastern
Ukraine with this breaking news.
What are we learning?
This is coming from the Kremlin.
If you take everything they say
with a grain of salt.
What are you learned about this?
>> Reporter: Yeah, really has to
be taken with a lot of concern
and treated with the fact that
we know that the Kremlin often
lie about the situation.
What we know is what the Kremlin
tells their population often
sticks with the population that
Russians will most often believe
what they are told by the
Kremlin.
That's another reason to take
this seriously because is this
an effort by Putin to try to
find some way to escalate or
again justify his war in
Ukraine.
What do we know at the moment?
We know that state media
reported that two Ukrainian
uavs, unmanned aerial vehicles,
were flown towards the Kremlin,
that they were intercepted,
disabled, that the debris that
fell from them didn't cause any
injuries inside the Kremlin.
After that, the Kremlin then
said this was an attack, attempt
on president Putin's life.
As you said, we know that Putin
wasn't there inside the Kremlin
at the time.
There are social media videos of
what purports to be this
incident, but again this
requires absolute scrutiny and
CNN at this time cannot verify.
Eyewitnesses about the time that
this event is allegedly supposed
to have taken place do report
hearing at least one loud clap
or small explosion in the area.
But at the moment Ukrainians
haven't said anything officially
about it, but it is clear that
for Ukraine this would be a
concern about how Russia will
respond and use this information
that they are putting out in the
population, what more do we know
about these drones.
We do know that Ukraine does
have longer distance drones than
it did in the past.
They threaten the Kremlin in
this way -- [ inaudible ] We
need to pay very close attention
to -- close scrutiny of this
video.
>> And it is important to note
that we have seen Russian allege
things in the past to justify
its own actions.
You said we have not heard
anything from the Ukrainian side
on this?
>> Reporter: Correct.
False flag operations have been
the modus operandi, the playbook
of the Kremlin.
Absolutely.
They want to do this sort of
thing to use it as propaganda as
they have in the past for events
that are yet to unfold.
We know that Russia is concerned
about a potential Ukrainian
counteroffensive.
We know that they are -- that
Russians are losing troops at
the front line in high numbers.
Troops fight in those front
lines today, and, you know, they
talk about the intensity of the
fight, the expectations and the
training they get for the battle
ahead of them.
So the expectation on the ground
all along the front lines in
Ukraine is that the fighting
here is going to heat up.
What we have also seen in recent
days, and I think this is very
significant and very important,
we have seen two Russian trains
just inside Russia north outside
over the border from Ukraine,
inside Russia, struck earlier
this week.
We have seen oil depots struck
deep in Russia south.
Not inside Ukraine.
So it appears as if Russia is
getting targeted inside Russia,
not clearly by whom, on vital
supply lines, the train links,
and fuel stores.
So is the tempo of activity over
the border inside Russia heating
up?
Who is perpetrating it?
We don't know:the events over
the Kremlin, Russian propaganda
or real events, it's unclear at
the moment.
>> If you hear anything, please
keep us updated.
>>> Let's bring in retired
lieutenant colonel Alexander
vindman, the former European
affairs director at the national
security council.
He served as trump's top expert.
You are the perfect news to have
on this news.
How would you expect this?
Even if it is Russian
propaganda, how would you expect
this to cause Russia to act
towards Ukraine?
What would retaliation look like
and how would you be advising
the administration if you were
still doing that?
>> Sure.
So the first thing is, we could
set aside that at one
possibility is that this is a
pretext for the Russians to
target zelenskyy as they have
periodically throughout the war,
especially early on, for
assassination.
It's a pretext saying this is a
response to a Ukrainian tack.
More than likely, it's probably
a shaping operation.
We have seen long range attacks.
Ukrainians have indijnized
unmanned combat aerial
capability and struck out
against targets on the Russian
side of the border deep into
Ukraine.
This is a demonstration of
capability, you know, hundreds
of kilometers.
600 plus kilometers to Moscow
and they went after what's
probably a strategic messaging
target, which is the Kremlin
itself, that the Kremlin is
vulnerable, that we were able to
launch uavs that got that close
to the Kremlin, the videos that
are on media show fire burning
on one of the chapels in the
Kremlin itself.
That's a pretty powerful
demonstration and something
intended to send a signal to the
Russians that they are no longer
safe at home either.
And the Ukrainians land blows in
this counteroffensive in the
coming weeks and months, this is
also going to show there is a
cost directly to the Russian pop
six.
I think it's part of a shaping
operation rather than pretext,
but could be a pretext.
>> It speaks to what Nick
reported at the end of his
report that Russia is getting
targeted inside Russia, deeper
inside Russia, unclear by whom.
>> That's definitely -- I mean,
it's pretty clear.
The thing is that the Ukrainians
have gone to a policy and kind
of an Israeli policy of
non-attribution or not taking
credit for these attacks.
But in fact it's pretty clear
logically who is conducting
these attacks.
It's the Ukrainian armed forces
attempting to set conditions to
liberate their territory, free
their people from Russian
occupation.
These are minor events unfold
going in a precursor to a major
strike by Ukrainian armed forces
that will achieve broad effects,
I think.
We are not going to see the war
end in the next five, six
months, but the Ukrainians are
going to achieve some major
gains.
I am not a schedule particular
here.
I believe what I see with my
eyes that the Ukrainians have
demonstrated capability to lab
rate territory, they are going
to put normal pressure on vp to
put up or shut up.
Put up doing another
mobilization pulling in hundreds
of thousands of troops or start
to put his toes into
negotiations which is the more
likely course of action.
>> So, obviously, we take
everything Russia says with a
grain of salt given how much
they lie.
About you do you think that
there is a real chance here that
this is what Ukraine was trying
to do, that it was an attempt on
Putin's life?
>> I don't think it's an attempt
on Putin's life.
The Ukrainians probably better
than anybody else know the
patterns of life for Vladimir
Putin.
He is un -- it's pretty evident
there are massive motorcades
that lock up the city of Moscow
when he is traveling there.
They were confident that he
wasn't going to be in the
Kremlin and it was more of a --
again, a strategic strike on
kind of the heart of our --
Russia's power, the Kremlin
itself, with a demonstration
that that even that location is
not safe.
So unlikely an assassination,
more likely a demonstration of
ability and cost.
>> Could we ask you about
president zelenskyy in this
interview with "The Washington
post" yesterday saying you just
said that you do believe Ukraine
will be able to make territorial
gains in the spring offensive.
There were documents that were
leaked online that the white
house is disputing how authentic
they are, but they seem to say
that actually behind closed
doors there is skepticism in the
administration of what Ukraine
will be able to achieve when it
comes to retaking land.
What do you make of the fact
that they hasn't spoke to
zelenskyy about that leak?
>> Start with the premise that
our analysis has been
consistently wrong in
underestimating Ukrainian power
and overestimated Russia power.
Half of that analysis is those
leaked reports is inaccurate.
It's just a fact.
In terms of the kind of raw
damage from these leaks, it's
quite minimal.
The bigger damage comes from the
fact that we've continued to
undermine our standing with
these leaks.
Our other allies are going to be
dubious about sharing
information with us.
This validates the fact that the
Ukrainians were reluctant to
share information and
intelligence with the U.S.
Throughout the war, especially
early on.
They started getting a level of
confidence.
President zelenskyy in
particular has scar tissue.
Trump released a transcript that
was embarrassing to zelenskyy.
That is really not the way we
are supposed to interact with
allies and partners.
The problem is there are
different tiers of reps.
It's not just Ukraine.
We wouldn't allow something like
this to occur with Russia or
China, where there is a
potential leak damaging to the
relationship.
Even though they are
adversaries, we had probably
talk to them.
Lesser powers don't get the same
conversation.
So zelenskyy's already
skeptical.
We need to do better about
coordinating with allies.
We need to treat them
accordingly, especially now that
Ukraine has demonstrated as
probably the most partner in
that part of the world and,
hopefully, we learn and be more