[12] Former president and the current head of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, threatened that "After today's terrorist attack, there are no options left aside the physical elimination of Zelensky and his cabal.

"[13] State Duma member Andrey Gurulyov said that "We should officially declare that all of the leadership of this terrorist nation is subject to being physically eliminated.

According to Ponomarev, the group originally planned the attack to occur on Victory Day, but in April there were discussions where he advised that the attack instead occur prior to the festivities, due the danger to parade crowds, and that because to the sacredness of the day, it might achieve the opposite result due to a rally 'round the flag effect .

On his account, the goal of the 3 May drone attack was to force cancellation of the parade so that Russians would understand that the war was lost.

[19] White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was "not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its border.

James Nixey, director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Chatham House think-tank, said "the two most likely possibilities are a 'warning shot across the bows' by Kyiv or a false flag operation by Moscow designed to justify more intense attacks in Ukraine or more conscription.