On Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry gave its first comprehensive account of an alleged drone strike by Ukraine targeting President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Valdai, asserting that over half of the drones were neutralized hundreds of kilometers away from the estate.
Moscow officials assert that Ukraine initiated a major drone operation aimed at Putin’s home located in the northwestern Novgorod region between Sunday night and early Monday morning. Ukrainian authorities have rejected these claims as a ploy to derail U.S.-mediated negotiations for peace.
The timing and manner of Russia’s accusations seemed peculiar. Rather than being reported by the Defense Ministry or local authorities, who typically relay information on Ukrainian drone operations, the initial details were disclosed by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. His statements, resembling a military briefing, came while Putin was conversing with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday.
Major General Alexander Romanenkov, head of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ air defense missile troops, stated that Ukraine executed the drone attack through “multiple routes toward the president’s residence, traversing the Bryansk, Smolensk, Tver, and Novgorod regions.”
Romanenkov reported that 50 of the 91 drones involved were intercepted over the Bryansk and Smolensk areas, which are both situated hundreds of kilometers from Putin’s residence and frequently experience drone strikes from Ukraine. A map presented during Romanenkov’s briefing illustrated that the intercepts in Bryansk and Smolensk occurred approximately 520 kilometers (323 miles) south of Valdai.
While Romanenkov did not clarify how the military established that those 50 drones were targeted at Valdai, he mentioned that an additional 41 drones were downed in the Novgorod region. Previously, the Defense Ministry had indicated that only 18 Ukrainian drones were intercepted in that area between Sunday and Monday.
“The nature of the attack and the quantity of aerial assets deployed… clearly indicate that this terrorist operation by the Kyiv regime was intentional, meticulously orchestrated, and executed in a systematic manner,” Romanenkov claimed.
In conjunction with the general’s remarks, the Defense Ministry released a video allegedly portraying a downed Ukrainian drone in a snowy forest at night, asserting it was one of the many involved in the Valdai attack. The footage lacked information for independent verification of when or where it was filmed.
Additionally, the military shared a video testimony from a man named Igor Bolshakov, identified as a Valdai resident, who reported hearing explosions during the time of the supposed assault on Putin’s residence.
The Moscow Times discovered a social media profile belonging to Bolshakov listing his location as Valdai. However, verification of his story was not feasible, as it contradicted multiple independent reports from Valdai residents who claimed they heard no explosions between Sunday night and Monday morning.
The Defense Ministry’s briefing, which raised further questions than it clarified, is likely to reinforce Ukrainian officials’ accusations that Russia’s assertions regarding the drone strike on Putin’s residence were fabricated, potentially aimed at creating discord between the Trump administration and Kyiv during vital peace negotiations.
In a related development, Trump, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Florida over the weekend to discuss a 20-point peace plan, expressed his frustration over the incident, stating he was “very angry” about it.
Zelensky mentioned that Ukraine’s negotiation team had deliberated on the accusations with U.S. officials. “Our partners have the means to verify whether this was fabricated,” he noted.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, indicated on Tuesday that Western intelligence agencies were assessing the Russian claims, and officials were not yet inclined to accept them without scrutiny, in contrast to Trump’s apparent acceptance.
“We can’t be sure if it actually occurred,” Whitaker remarked in an interview with Fox News. “Ukraine faces nightly drone and missile attacks in its capital, and its primary focus is on self-defense.”
If validated, this would not be the first incident of Ukrainian drones reaching locations associated with Putin. In May 2023, two drones struck the Kremlin’s roof, which Russian officials labeled as an attempted assassination of the president.
Simultaneously, Zelensky had previously stated that Russia made several unsuccessful attempts to eliminate him since the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
