Kyiv Trolls Putin with Bird's-Eye Video of Kremlin as Spy Drones Spotted

A Ukrainian official shared a bird's-eye video of Moscow's Red Square on Monday, as surveillance drones were found around the Russian capital.

"Ukrainian drone flies calmly over Moscow. It seems that the Kremlin has every chance to be in the affected area very soon. Fireworks planned for May 9th?" Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, posted on Telegram, referring to Victory Day—Russia's annual commemoration of the defeat of the Nazis in World War II.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the footage, and has contacted Ukraine's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

Tensions have been rising in Russia ahead of an anticipated counteroffensive by Kyiv. In Moscow, a military parade will still be held in Red Square on May 9, but the traditional in-person procession of the Immortal Regiment has been scrapped due to security concerns. Parades to mark May 9 have also been canceled in Crimea, and in the cities of Belgorod and Kursk, which border Ukraine.

In further comments on Twitter on Tuesday, Gerashchenko said: "Red Square will be closed to the public from April 27 to May 10 due to the preparation and holding of the parade. If I'm right, this has never happened in the history of Moscow—not even in 1941. Is the Kremlin authorities afraid of something?"

"But there is one more thing, drones fall from the sky. The physical closure of the square does not protect from that," he said.

On Tuesday, Russia's state-run news agency Tass said three drones with cameras were found in different areas of the Moscow region, including one not far from a drone that was found with explosives in the Bogorodskoye district a day earlier.

"The day before, a fallen unmanned drone with a camera and a microphone was found on the territory of the Ugolek SNT in the Bogorodskoye urban district. It was found about 4 kilometers from the crash site of a Ukrainian aircraft-type drone with explosives," law enforcement agencies were quoted as saying.

A spokesperson for Russia's law enforcement agencies told Tass that Moscow was investigating the matter, and that all three drones have been "sent for examination."

"It is being established who they belonged to and for what purpose they were launched," the spokesperson said.

Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility for launching the drones. Newsweek has contacted Ukraine's Foreign Ministry by email for comment.

Gerashchenko also shared the 11-second video on his Twitter page, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "growing more and more toxic."

"The only foreign leader to participate in a victory day parade in Moscow on 9th May is the president of Kyrgyzstan. His invitation to attend was made in the end of March," he tweeted.

"This year, the aggressor country won't have any demonstrations or rallies dedicated to 1st May. Russian authorities also won't hold the traditional "Immortal Regiment" march on 9th May," he added.

Volodymyr Yatsenko, a co-founder of Ukrainian online bank Monobank and the manufacturer of Dovbush T10 reconnaissance drones, said he would give at least 20 million hryvnias ($543,000) to a drone manufacturer who lands a drone on Red Square in Moscow on May 9.

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