In a dramatic escalation, Russia's Defence Ministry has released nighttime video allegedly showing a downed Ukrainian drone in snow-covered forest — claiming it was part of a massive 91-drone "terrorist attack" on President Vladimir Putin's heavily guarded residence in Novgorod region on the night of December 28-29. Moscow calls it a direct personal threat to Putin and vows to harden its stance in Ukraine peace negotiations. Ukraine strongly denies the accusation, labeling it a "complete fabrication" designed to derail fragile diplomatic progress following Volodymyr Zelensky's recent talks with US President Donald Trump in Florida.
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| Source: Video Screenshot |
The Russian Claim: "Personal Attack" on Putin
Russia's Defence Ministry stated the assault began around 7:00 p.m. on December 28 with a "mass" launch of long-range drones targeting Putin's residence near Valdai (also known as the Roshchino complex) in the Novgorod region. According to Moscow, all 91 drones were intercepted — 49 over Bryansk, 1 over Smolensk, and the rest over Novgorod — with zero damage to the residence or injuries reported.
The Kremlin described the incident as a "terrorist act" and a "personal attack" against President Putin, whose private residences are normally kept in strict secrecy. Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, warned that the alleged strike will force Moscow to "toughen" its negotiating position in ongoing Ukraine war talks.
Ukraine's Strong Denial: "Typical Russian Lies"
Kyiv immediately rejected the accusations as a "lie" and "fabrication" aimed at manipulating the peace process. President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of spreading disinformation to undermine recent diplomatic achievements, particularly after his meeting with Donald Trump in Florida on December 28.
Ukrainian officials emphasized that no plausible evidence has been provided after more than a day, and independent analysts (including the Institute for the Study of War) noted the complete absence of typical indicators of such a deep strike — no videos of intercepts, no local explosions reported, and inconsistencies in Russia's own drone-downing numbers.
Timing Raises Questions
The allegation came just hours after Zelensky's high-stakes talks with Trump in Florida, where the two leaders discussed a revised peace framework. Many observers see Moscow's claim as a calculated move to pressure the US and justify potential further escalation. The EU has also criticized the video release as an attempt to "derail" ongoing peace efforts.
Original Source of the Claim
The story first broke via Russian state channels and was widely reported by international media. For detailed background:
Original article: Ukraine Targets Putin's Secret Residence? Russia Releases Shocking Drone Video on Planet Today 🚀
Automatically republished from the main blog.