Russia says it will give US proof of attempted Ukrainian strike on Putin residence

MOSCOW - Russia said on Jan 1 it had extracted and decoded a file from a Ukrainian drone downed earlier this week that it said shows it had been targeting a Russian presidential residence
and that it would hand over the relevant information to the United States.

Moscow accused Kyiv on Dec 29 of trying to strike a residence of President Vladimir Putin
in Russia’s northern Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones.

It said Russia would review its negotiating position in ongoing talks with the US on ending the Ukraine war.

Ukraine and Western countries have disputed Russia’s account
of the alleged attempted strike.

In a statement posted on Telegram on Jan 1, Russia’s Defence Ministry said: “Decryption of routing data revealed that the final target of the Ukrainian drone attack on Dec 29, 2025, was a facility at the Russian Presidential Residence in the Novgorod region.”

“These materials will be transferred to the American side through the established channels,” it added.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec 31 that US national security officials had found Ukraine did not target Mr Putin nor one of his residences in a drone strike. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

US President Donald Trump initially expressed sympathy for the Russian charge, telling reporters on Dec 29 that Mr Putin had informed him of the alleged incident and that he was “very angry” about it
.

By Dec 31, Mr Trump appeared more sceptical, sharing on social media a New York Post editorial accusing Russia of blocking peace in Ukraine.

Ukraine has denied carrying out such an attack and described the accusation as part of a Russian disinformation campaign meant to drive a wedge between Kyiv and Washington after a weekend meeting between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
. REUTERS