Ukraine denies attacking Putin’s residence with drones
In this pool photo distributed by Russian government agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Heads of the State Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) at the Yntymak Ordo (Unity Palace) presidential residence in Bishkek on November 27, 2025.
Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Images
Ukraine has rejected Russia’s claim that it carried out a drone attack on one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residences and instead accused Moscow of trying to undermine peace talks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday Ukraine allegedly fired 91 UAVs at Putin’s official residence It is located in the Novgorod region, between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Lavrov said the drones allegedly launched between Sunday night and Monday morning were destroyed by air defenses and no casualties were reported. It is unclear where Putin was at the time of the alleged incident, and Lavrov did not provide further details.
Russian state media reported: Putin called US President Donald Trump after the incident and told him that Russia would “review its stance” on ongoing peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Kyiv immediately rejected Russia’s claim on Monday, describing it this way: “completely fabricated”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his statement to X: “Russia is at work again, using dangerous statements to undermine all the successes of our joint diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team.”
“This so-called ‘residence strike’ story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks on Ukraine, including on Kiev, as well as Russia’s refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies.”
Russia’s claim came a day after Zelenskyy met face-to-face with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida; Both leaders said progress had been made on a 20-point peace plan and an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy, who said on Monday that Moscow was trying to undermine the peace talks between the USA and Kiev, said: “Ukraine does not take steps to undermine diplomacy. On the contrary, Russia always takes such steps. This is one of the many differences between us.”
Trump’s reaction
Russian state media reported that Trump expressed anger at the alleged attack during a phone call with Putin on Monday.
Kremlin Deputy Chief Yuri Ushakov told the press that Trump was “shocked by this information, literally outraged by such reckless actions,” state media agency TASS reported. Ushakov added that it was stated that the incident would affect the US’s approach to working with Zelenskyy.
Trump was later asked directly for his reaction to the alleged drone strike and appeared to favor the Russian version of events.
“I learned about this today from President Putin. I am very angry about it,” he told reporters in Florida on Monday.
“This is not the right time. It’s one thing to be aggressive, because they are aggressive. It’s another thing to attack your house. It’s not the right time to do any of this.” added.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025.
Participant | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Some commentators on social media said Russia intended to use the alleged drone strike to gauge Trump’s stance on Ukraine and to undermine or stress test potential security guarantees Kiev could receive under the peace deal.
Olena Halushka, co-founder of the International Center for the Victory in Ukraine, commented on X: “This is how the so-called ‘security guarantees for Ukraine’ will collapse: a Russian false flag operation – or just a lie… and they will disappear.”
Asked whether there was any US intelligence showing that the attack actually occurred, Trump acknowledged that it was “possible” that it did not actually occur. But he added: “President Putin told me this morning that it was.”
As Russia and Ukraine continue to antagonize each other over the alleged drone strike on Tuesday, the Kremlin stated that Western media were “acting together with Ukraine”. Asked whether Russia would provide evidence regarding the alleged drone attack, Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that this was a matter for the military.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha commented in a statement on Tuesday
