Russia Plants Fake Drone Debris to Manufacture Claim of 91-Drone Attack on Putin's Residence, Ukraine's Counter-Disinformation Center Says

Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation (CPD) says Russia fabricated evidence of an alleged drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s Valdai (Novgorod region) residence and calls the Kremlin’s account an information operation.

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The CPD pointed to inconsistencies in the timing and visuals presented by Russian authorities.

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The CPD told UNN that the Russian Defence Ministry’s photos of metal fragments in the snow and claims of a 91‑drone attack were unconvincing, noting there is no footage of air‑defence activity or recorded drone crashes at the site and that figures have repeatedly changed.

President Zelensky also called the claim a lie.

Russian sources, including a defence‑ministry briefing and statements by senior officials, presented maps, footage and tallied numbers that Moscow says show the operation was foiled with no casualties or damage.

Independent outlets and foreign media say they could not verify the footage or location and point to conflicting accounts about the scale, timing and whether the presidential residence was actually affected.

The CPD and Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council argued the physical fragments and imagery shown by the Russian Defence Ministry were staged.

They said the fragments appeared only two days after the initial claim, after the first version faced criticism, and that there is no footage of air-defense activity or recorded drone crashes at the site.

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Russian officials, including Major General Alexander Romanenkov, countered with maps and technical claims alleging low-altitude drones were launched from the Sumy and Chernihiv regions and provided tallies of intercepts in Novgorod and Bryansk.

The Kremlin released video it said showed a damaged UAV.

Independent journalists and foreign outlets were unable to verify the footage or its location.

Locals in Valdai reported hearing nothing unusual.

Official Russian accounts themselves are inconsistent about the scale of the alleged operation.

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Moscow's public tally has varied in statements: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was reported saying 91 long-range drones were involved, the defence ministry's numbers have been reported as 89 shot down overall with 18 in Novgorod by some officials, and other Russian statements tallied different intercept totals across regions.

Ukrainian and independent reporting pointed to those shifts — UNN notes changing figures, Euronews highlights Lavrov's 91-drone figure and the defence ministry's differing earlier totals, and DIE WELT cites investigative reporting that regional statements did not always reference the presidential residence, undercutting the link made by Moscow.

Observers and other governments reacted cautiously: several Western outlets noted the possibility that Moscow might use the incident to harden its negotiating stance or to justify future action, while Kyiv and Ukrainian agencies called the story manufactured.

Euronews and Newsweek reported that allies suggested the Kremlin could be using the claim to undermine US-led peace talks and to justify a tougher posture; UNN's CPD framed the narrative as a pretext to pressure diplomacy and create grounds for future strikes.

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Russian outlets and the defence ministry, as relayed by elciudadano, described the operation as a 'deliberate, carefully planned and coordinated' terrorist attack by Kyiv, stressing no casualties or damage were reported.

In sum, the available reporting shows complete disagreement between Kyiv's counter-disinformation authorities and Moscow's official briefings.

Ukraine's CPD and President Zelensky call the story fabricated and staged, while Russian officials presented maps, footage, and specific intercept tallies that they say prove an attempted 91-drone attack with no casualties.

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Independent media and foreign outlets repeatedly note they could not verify the claimed evidence, point to inconsistent Russian numbers, and record local reports of no unusual activity.

Given these contradictions and the gap between Moscow's presentation and independent verification, the overall picture remains ambiguous and contested.