Russia Claims Ukraine Targeted Putin Residence with Drones, Kyiv Denies Allegation

Addis Ababa, December 29, 2025 (ENA)—Russia accused Ukraine on Monday of launching a large-scale drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences, a claim Kyiv dismissed as a fabrication intended to disrupt U.S.-led efforts to end the war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine had fired 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles at Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region between late Sunday and early Monday.

He said all of the drones were intercepted.

“Given the complete degeneration of the criminal Kyiv regime, which has shifted to a policy of state terrorism, Russia’s negotiating position will be reconsidered,” Lavrov said, without providing further details.

Lavrov rarely makes public announcements about alleged drone attacks.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the accusation, calling it “a complete fabrication” aimed at derailing ongoing peace talks.

 He suggested Moscow was laying the groundwork for intensified attacks on Ukraine.

“Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team,” Zelensky wrote on X.

The exchange comes at a critical moment in negotiations to end the nearly three-year war.

Ukraine has said it has agreed to about 90 percent of a U.S.-drafted peace plan, including provisions on post-war security guarantees, while the question of territory remains unresolved.

Russia, which has not disclosed what elements of the U.S. proposal it supports, said on Monday it remained committed to the peace process but would “revise” its stance in light of the alleged drone attack.

The diplomatic push has intensified in recent days. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Putin on Monday in a call the White House described as “positive,” and met Zelensky on Sunday.

Kyiv says Trump offered Ukraine security guarantees lasting 15 years.

However, major obstacles remain, particularly over territory and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

Zelensky said Kyiv was open to “any” format of talks, including direct talks with Putin if necessary, but added that he did not believe the Kremlin leader genuinely sought peace.

Under the current proposal, the war would be frozen along existing front lines in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, with a demilitarized zone established.

The Kremlin has shown no sign of accepting such terms.

Putin said on Monday that Russian forces were pressing ahead with plans to fully seize four Ukrainian regions Moscow claimed to have annexed in 2022, adding that troops were “confidently advancing.”

Russia also said it had captured another village, Dibrova, in the eastern Donetsk region.