Russia: My Seventh Comment on the Alleged Attack on Putin's Residence

My comment at 9:28 AM on Kyiv argues alleged attack on Putin's residence was a false-flag operation:

I would nuance four points. 1) This wasn't just a country residence (maybe think Camp David) but also a backup nuclear command and control HQ according to some reports. 2) It seems a bit unfair to say that Trump has a track record of trusting Putin more than his own IC. 3) Trump may have linked to the NY Post article to show the Kremlin what he is looking at on his right in US public opinion. 4) There are valid reasons related to diplomacy between nuclear superpowers for Trump to give Putin the benefit of the doubt. It very much depends on what Putin himself believes and what he is signaling. So far, Putin is not rushing to retaliate, despite pressure from hardliners to take out Zelensky. Trump may be inclined to validate Putin's strategic stability as his negotiating team (Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner) receives information from the Kremlin about just what is now on or off the table in Ukraine talks.