Ukraine dismisses Russian claims of a drone attack on Putin’s residence as baseless, accusing Moscow of fabricating the incident to manipulate peace talks.
KYIV: Ukraine has dismissed Russian claims of a drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences as baseless. Kyiv accused Moscow of peddling false claims to manipulate negotiations aimed at ending the invasion.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga stated Russia had provided no plausible evidence nearly a day after making the allegation. “And they won’t. Because there’s none. No such attack happened,” Sybiga said on social media.
The Kremlin had labelled the alleged incident a “terrorist act” and a “personal attack against Putin”. It claimed the drones were all shot down, preventing it from providing evidence.
Russia also stated its army had chosen “how, when and where” to retaliate against Ukraine. The Kremlin added it would now “toughen” its negotiating position in peace talks.
The allegation followed a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. Zelensky called the incident a Russian “fabrication” intended to sabotage diplomatic progress.
President Trump, who spoke with Putin, directed criticism at Kyiv. “It’s one thing to be offensive because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house,” Trump said.
European leaders rallied around Zelensky following Moscow’s claim. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for transparency, stating “We are moving the peace process forward.”
The secretive residence is located in the Novgorod region between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Putin has reportedly used it more since the war began due to its seclusion and air defences.
The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had previously published investigations into the luxury lake-side property. Russia has not disclosed where Putin was at the time of the alleged attack.
Ukraine also ordered the mandatory evacuation of several villages in the northern Chernigiv region on Tuesday. The move was due to intense Russian shelling near the border with Moscow-allied Belarus.
