Russia shows alleged drone used in ‘attack’ on Putin’s residence | VIDEO

Moscow: The Russian defence ministry on Wednesday released a video of a downed drone that it claimed was launched by Ukraine at President Vladimir Putin’s residence in northwest Russia earlier this week, an allegation Kyiv has dismissed as a “lie”.

The claim surfaced shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with US President Donald Trump in Florida. Ukrainian authorities rejected Moscow’s assertion, calling it a “fabrication” designed to “manipulate” the peace process. The European Union also weighed in, saying the video appeared to be an attempt to “derail” peace efforts.

Russia, however, described the alleged incident as a “terrorist attack” and a “personal attack” on President Putin, warning that it would harden its stance in negotiations related to the Ukraine war.

The video released by the defence ministry, filmed at night, shows what appears to be a damaged drone lying in snow in a forested area. According to the ministry, the alleged strike was “targeted, carefully planned and carried out in stages”.

Moscow said the drone attack took place on the night of December 28–29 at Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region, though it did not disclose where the Russian leader was at the time. The locations of Putin’s residences are typically kept secret. The ministry said the attack began around 7:00 pm on December 28 and involved a “mass” drone launch, but added that the residence itself was not damaged.

Russian authorities also released a separate video featuring a man identified as a witness, whom they described as a local resident of the settlement of Roshchino.

Independent analysts have cast doubt on Moscow’s claims. The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said it had not seen any corroborating evidence. It noted that it had not observed any “footage or reporting that typically follows Ukrainian deep strikes to corroborate the Kremlin's claims of Ukrainian strikes threatening Putin's residence in Novgorod Oblast”.

Russian officials have since rallied behind Putin following the allegation. The Russian president, who has been in power since December 1999, has told citizens in recent weeks that Moscow intends to seize the remaining Ukrainian territory it claims as Russian by force if diplomatic efforts fail.