Kyiv and European leaders have dismissed Moscow’s claim, accusing Russia of spreading falsehoods to derail U.S.-led peace talks.
Russia said on Jan. 1 it would hand over what it described as technical proof to the United States showing that a Ukrainian drone attack earlier this week targeted one of President Vladimir Putin’s official residences, as fighting between the two sides continued into the New Year despite signs of movement in U.S.-led peace efforts.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had extracted and decoded navigation data from a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) shot down during what Moscow claims was a large-scale attack involving 91 long-range drones aimed at a presidential residence in Russia’s Novgorod region, south of St. Petersburg.
“Decoding of the UAV route data shows that the Ukrainian drone attack on 29 December 2025 targeted one of the facilities of the Russian President’s residence in Novgorod region,” the ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram. It added that the materials would be transferred to the American side “through established channels.”
Besides pledging to provide the United States with the decrypted route data, the ministry also released during a Dec. 31 briefing what it said was a flight map and video footage showing the wreckage of the drones purportedly used in the attack. Footage showed black UAV fragments, wooden structural parts, and red electrical wiring scattered in the snow at what the ministry said were interception sites.
The map showed interception points in several Russian regions, including Bryansk, Smolensk, and Novgorod, with the ministry saying that no casualties or damage were reported.
Ukraine has denied carrying out such an attack, with Kyiv and several Western officials dismissing the allegation as disinformation aimed at derailing diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year war.
Drone Attack Claims Disputed as Peace Talks Continue
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, in a Dec. 31 post on X, described Kremlin claims of a drone attack on Putin’s residence as “Russian manipulations and attempts to obstruct and undermine peace efforts.”
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, said on social media that Russia’s claims were a “deliberate distraction” and an attempt to “derail real progress towards peace by Ukraine and its Western partners.”
“No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilians since the start of the war,” she added.
By Tom Ozimek
