Putin downplayed the drone attack in Moscow because there's not much he can do to retaliate, analysts say

• Putin downplayed the drone attack in Moscow because there's little he can do about it, analysts say.
• The ISW said Putin typically resorts to missiles and drone strikes on Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was notably calm after Tuesday's unprecedented drone strike in Moscow, telling state media that the city's air defenses did their job.

But he likely downplayed the incident because there's not much he can do to retaliate against Ukraine, analysts say.

According to The Institute for the Study of War, Putin's response to the strikes was focused on emphasizing past attacks against Ukraine, including ongoing drone strikes in Kyiv.

This is "likely an attempt to signal that Russia is already actively retaliating and does not need to respond to further Ukrainian provocations," ISW said.

Russia's typical response to both "genuine and purported Ukrainian actions" is "massive missile and drone campaigns," ISW added, which is "likely due to Russian forces' inability to achieve any decisive effects on the battlefield."

Putin also claimed that Russian forces struck Ukrainian military intelligence headquarters days prior to the drone strike in Moscow, although the Russian Ministry of Defense has not released any information about this attack, ISW said.

Putin and Kremlin-backed media pushed similar narratives on the drone attacks. Matthew Luxmoore, a Wall Street Journal reporter, posted a video of Putin claiming Moscow's air defense systems protected the city from the drones.

While Ukraine denied sending the drones, one official suggested Moscow residents deserved to live in fear — the same kind that Kyiv residents experience. One expert told Insider the attack could have been Ukraine giving Russia "a taste of its own medicine."