The Moscow drone attacks bring Russia’s war to its doorstep – and put Putin’s alternative reality at risk | Jade McGlynn

Conspiracy theories abound as to who is behind the strikes, but the idea that all is going to plan is getting harder to sustain

Russian authorities are trying to downplay a series of drone attacks across Moscow, including on its most elite area, Rublyovka. The Kremlin has blamed Ukraine, although Kyiv has denied any involvement in the attacks - the first of this scale on Russian soil since it invaded Ukraine 15 months ago.

Russian media reports originally suggested as many as 30 drones targeted the city, and videos of (apparent) direct hits on buildings went viral. But soon Kremlin officials reclaimed the narrative. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed only eight drones had participated in the attack, and insisted any damage to buildings was caused by debris after they were shot down. Defence minister Sergei Shoigu, buoyed up by support from politicians and president Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, tried to distract from the embarrassment, citing the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed by Russian forces, and the Nato equipment Russia has purportedly destroyed.

Dr Jade McGlynn is a research fellow at King's College London and the author of Russia's War and Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin's Russia

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