The drones the Kremlin says were intended to assassinate President Vladimir Putin in a late-night attack were reported by residents outside Moscow before they struck—but security forces shrugged off the sightings, according to a new report. The Russian Telegram channel Baza reports that residents of the Moscow region outside the capital phoned emergency services to warn about the incoming drones, but police dismissed the calls as unfounded panic. “The reports were not handled properly,” an unnamed source was quoted as telling the outlet. The source also suggested security forces may have been too busy celebrating the May holidays to pay much attention. “Because of the late time and May holidays, there was no proper immediate reaction,” even when security services did begin to sound the alarm about the drones, the source said. The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of carrying out the alleged assassination attempt—on orders from Washington.
