Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said US spy agencies don’t have enough information to assess Russia’s claim that Ukraine was behind a drone attack it said was aimed at President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Kremlin.
(Bloomberg) — Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said US spy agencies don’t have enough information to assess Russia’s claim that Ukraine was behind a drone attack it said was aimed at President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Kremlin.
“At this stage we don’t have information that would allow us to provide an independent assessment on this,” Haines told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denied the Russian allegations on Wednesday. Russia has said it averted an attack by drones against the Kremlin in Moscow Tuesday night, blaming the attempt on Ukraine without providing evidence.
Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said there are reasons to believe Russia’s claims may be misinformation. Answering questions from Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, Berrier agreed that video Russia said showed the attack indicated the drones didn’t appear large enough to inflict significant damage on Putin’s residence. He also agreed that Putin doesn’t sleep at the Kremlin very often.
Haines also testified that the continuing war in Ukraine has increased Chinese President Xi Jinping’s leverage over Putin. She said Putin has likely scaled back his immediate ambitions in Ukraine as Russia’s efforts to make territorial gains have stalled.
“Russia is increasingly beholden to and needs China,” Haines said, adding that the war has strengthened Beijing’s perception that Moscow is the junior partner in the relationship.
–With assistance from Tony Capaccio.
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