Ukraine on Tuesday firmly rejected Russia’s claim that it launched a drone attack on one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residences, calling the allegation a “complete fabrication” aimed at manipulating ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Kyiv says allegation lacks credible proof
Ukrainian officials said there was no “plausible” evidence to support Moscow’s assertion that drones targeted Putin’s secluded residence in Russia’s Novgorod region. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s negotiating team had reviewed the claim in coordination with American counterparts and concluded it was fake.
“Our partners must verify this independently. We are confident this incident was staged,” Zelensky told journalists, reiterating that Ukraine had no role in any such attack.
Allies express scepticism
Ukraine’s allies echoed Kyiv’s doubts. A French presidential source said the Kremlin’s statements were not backed by “any solid proof”, even after cross-checking intelligence with partner countries. European leaders rallied around Ukraine, warning against disinformation at a sensitive moment for peace talks.
Germany’s conservative leader Friedrich Merz said transparency and honesty were essential for moving the peace process forward, including from Russia.
Kremlin labels it a ‘terrorist act’
The Kremlin, however, described the alleged drone incident as a “terrorist act” and a “personal attack” on Putin. Russian officials claimed all drones were shot down but said no evidence could be released. Moscow also warned it would “toughen” its negotiating stance and choose “how, when and where” to retaliate.
Russia has continued near-daily drone and missile strikes on Ukraine for almost four years, causing widespread destruction and thousands of civilian deaths.
Peace efforts and diplomatic tensions
Zelensky announced that a summit of the so-called “coalition of the willing” — Western nations backing Ukraine — would be held in France on January 6, preceded by a meeting of allied security advisers in Ukraine on January 3. The talks are expected to focus on reviving stalled peace efforts.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who spoke with Putin on Monday, criticised the alleged targeting of a personal residence, despite Ukraine’s insistence that the claim was staged.
Secretive residence under scrutiny
Putin’s private residences remain shrouded in secrecy. The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had earlier published investigations into a luxury lakeside estate in the Novgorod region, which Putin reportedly began using more frequently after the Ukraine war began.
As diplomacy hangs in the balance, Ukraine has warned that Russian allegations risk derailing fragile negotiations, even as fighting intensifies on multiple fronts.