Russia Accuses Ukraine of Launching 91-Drone Attack on Putin's Residence

Russian authorities on Dec. 28–29 accused Ukraine of launching a swarm attack on a presidential residence in the Novgorod/Valdai area.

“The Ukrainian president rejects Moscow’s claim that Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack on Novgorod”

Al Jazeera

They said 91 long-range drones were intercepted and destroyed with no damage reported.

Al Jazeera

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the strikes "state terrorism."

He said Moscow had picked retaliatory targets and warned it would revise its negotiating stance.

He also insisted Russia would not abandon talks.

This account chiefly comes from Russian officials and state media.

Kyiv and President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly denied the Kremlin's account, calling it a fabrication intended to undermine recent diplomacy and justify new strikes on Ukrainian targets.

Zelensky and his ministers urged the world to reject what they described as Russian falsehoods and propaganda.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

They insisted that Ukraine targets only legitimate military objectives.

Several Western outlets quoted Zelensky calling the allegation a 'lie' or a 'complete fabrication'.

The allegation arrived days after high-profile US-facilitated diplomacy.

“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Dec”

Balkanweb

President Trump met Zelensky in Florida and later spoke with Putin.

U.S. envoys reportedly offered Ukraine 15-year security guarantees as part of a near-final peace framework.

Kremlin aides said Putin told Trump about the alleged strike and that Trump was 'shocked' or 'angry'.

Western reports conveyed both Trump's condemnation and his concession that the reported attack 'might not have occurred'.

Russian officials said the incident would prompt a reassessment of Russia's negotiating stance.

Independent verification of the Novgorod allegation is absent in available reporting, and several outlets highlighted key unknowns such as where Putin was at the time, what evidence Russia presented, and whether the incident could be independently corroborated.

These gaps raised concern that the claim could be used as a pretext to broaden attacks.

BBC

Analysts and some journalists also questioned the technical feasibility of such a swarm reaching a heavily defended presidential residence without leaving a trace.

Meanwhile, Russian sources emphasized preselection of targets for retaliation.

Observers placed the episode in a broader context of unresolved negotiating sticking points, notably territorial control in Donbas and the fate of the Russia-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, alongside ongoing battlefield moves.

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US envoys offered Ukraine a 15‑year security guarantee during recent talks, and he welcomed "new ideas" on a peace process”

BBC

Some reports noted Moscow’s continued push to seize full control of annexed regions while Western partners considered security guarantees for Kyiv.

BBC

The alleged attack and ensuing reactions risk hardening Moscow’s demands and disrupting a US-backed framework that Kyiv says is largely complete but still leaves major issues to resolve.