Vengeance Drone - Media Reaction
The drone attack on Moscow was actively commented in European publications. Some said that Muscovites had now felt what Kyivites were feeling. Others called on Ukraine to exercise restraint in order not to lose the support of the West.
The Times newspaper from Great Britain commented on the drone attack on Moscow on May 30 : "This air attack, which can be seen as a direct response to heavy Russian drone and missile attacks on Kyiv in recent days , has undoubtedly strengthened Ukrainian morale. However, breaking into the heart of the Russian government is not necessarily a smart move. There is a danger of alienating Ukraine's Western allies, who are trying to avoid escalating this conflict.The conventional drones used in the attack on Moscow, which apparently worried Russian President Putin, the West did not provide. But this operation, which caused a wide public outcry, can make NATO's top politicians nervous. Especially US President Biden, who insisted that Ukraine not use high-tech weapons provided to it for defense, for attacks on Russian territory. NATO has pledged to support Ukraine in resisting aggression, as the White House assured last week. But the Alliance is not at war with Russia and has no intention of changing that. Ukraine should take these hesitations into account, even if, for obvious reasons, it tries to make Russia pay for the indiscriminate shelling of its population."
The Dutch De Telegraaf from Amsterdam also drew attention to the risks for Kyiv: "If Ukraine really carried out a drone attack on Moscow , it is playing with fire. The thirst for revenge is great - given Russia's long-term merciless airstrikes and war crimes, but if Ukraine wants to retain the support of the West, it must restrain itself. NATO has already crossed the red lines on such as deliveries of long-range missiles, F-16 fighter jets are likely to follow, but always with the caveat that these weapons should not be used on Russian territory. This means that the Ukrainian military must fight back with one hand. Given the suffering inflicted on that country , it's almost immoral, but it's a reality. (…) President Zelensky will have to keep a cool head in order not to lose the support of the West."
The German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung from Frankfurt am Main wrote: "How great is the political damage caused to the Russian regime, it is difficult to assess at the moment. But it is clear that it is much more serious than the material. It is again difficult for Russian propaganda to explain what happened, just as it was after the drone attack on the Moscow Kremlin at the beginning of May and the breakthrough of armed Russian fighters in Belgorodskarea last week. These events are a sign of one's own weakness, it is very difficult to use them for patriotic mobilization of the population. So the authorities, including President Vladimir Putin himself, and their mouthpieces pretended on Tuesday that nothing of the sort happened. But it is doubtful that the same silence reigns behind closed doors in Moscow. (…) For the Ukrainian authorities, such drone attacks are a risk, because they can cause mistrust on the part of allies due to fears that Western weapons can be directly used for strikes on Russian territory. All the more so because now - in contrast to past attacks - there were no hits on important military objects. But it can be assumed that it is worth it for Ukraine to sow confusion in Russia in this way."
Another German newspaper - the Berlin Tageszeitung - wrotes: "The boomerang effect works: war, the responsibility they reject, which they justify and don't want to see, comes back to haunt them in the form of drones targeting their homes. It spreads fear. "There is my son's kindergarten. How am I supposed to sleep peacefully now?" - asked someone who, apparently, could still sleep peacefully despite the fact that the kindergartens of other sons and daughters were bombed a thousand kilometers away - by Russian hands. Thanks to the drone, many Muscovites understand that the stability that President Vladimir Putin talked about so much has long been gone. The Russian state is vulnerable, it cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens. Probably, because of this, he reacts with restraint: as after the drone attack on the Kremlin four weeks ago, the recent influx of pro-Ukrainian groups in the Belgorod region, and now after the attack on Moscow residential buildings. Harassment and threats can be heard from the same quarters from which harassment and threats have been coming for months. With all determination, the Kremlin adheres to the "necessity of a special operation" course. Stepping aside, let alone retreating, is not an option for Moscow."
The newspaper Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung from Essen, Germany drew attention: "For the first time, the population of the Russian capital is getting an impression of the horror that people in Ukraine have had to go through since February of last year. Already the attack of Russian volunteer military formations fighting on the side of Ukraine on the Belgorod region in mid-May caused extreme concern. The instigators of the war in Moscow increasingly it's harder to cover up what they've unleashed. Whether this will lead to a rethink or even wider protests among the Russian population is an open question. A Russian uprising against the war would be the best way to end it."
The publication Berliner Morgenpost from Berlin noted: "The war in Ukraine is gaining new momentum. There are almost no developments on the fronts. The new thing is massive drone attacks on Kyiv, which have intensified since mid-May. This war is not only being fought on the battlefield. Ukrainians are interested in sowing seeds among the population and elites of Russia doubts about Putin's system. Russia wants to wear down the Ukrainians, to break their resistance before the real spring offensive begins. Drone attacks are part of this strategy of destruction that Putin is pursuing. At some point - this is his calculation - the population from Washington to Berlin will tire of war . Calls for negotiations should then become louder and louder. The drone war is also a psychological war."
On one of the UAVs there was an interesting sticker with the inscription "Ane Lorak. Revenge Fund." During a full-scale war, a Ukrainian woman who never remembered the aggression of the invaders and has been living in Russia for many years, Internet users joked about the "migratory bird" performed by the singer. Even more surprising are the videos of the Russians, where the drone flies backwards. Commentators joke that the drone is returning from the future to the past.
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