Russia and Ukraine continued exchanging accusations Tuesday following Russian claims that an alleged drone attack targeted one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official residences. Ukraine firmly rejected the allegation, calling it false, while the Kremlin stated that its military was prepared to respond. The competing accounts have unfolded against the backdrop of renewed diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, with both sides accusing the other of undermining those talks.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, alleged Monday that Ukraine had launched 91 drones at one of Putin’s official residences in the Novgorod region, an area situated between Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to Lavrov, the drones were launched between Sunday night and Monday morning and were intercepted by Russian air defenses. He stated that no casualties were reported as a result of the alleged incident. Lavrov did not specify whether Vladimir Putin was present at the residence at the time and provided no additional operational details regarding the claim.
Ukraine categorically denied any involvement in such an attack and accused Moscow of fabricating the incident to disrupt ongoing diplomatic efforts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded publicly on X, stating, “Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team.” He further added, “This alleged ‘residence strike’ story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies.”
Russian state media reported that Putin held a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump following the alleged incident. According to those reports, Putin told Trump that Russia would “revise its stance” in ongoing peace negotiations intended to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. The allegation emerged just one day after Zelenskyy and Trump met in person at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, where both leaders said progress had been made on a 20-point peace plan and potential security guarantees for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy reiterated Monday that Ukraine was not acting in ways that would derail diplomatic efforts, contrasting Kyiv’s approach with Moscow’s actions. “Ukraine does not take steps that can undermine diplomacy. To the contrary, Russia always takes such steps. This is one of many differences between us,” he said. On Tuesday, the Kremlin acknowledged Zelenskyy’s denial of the alleged attack and accused Western media outlets of “playing along with Ukraine.” When questioned about whether Russia would provide evidence to support its claims, Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said that such matters fell under the responsibility of the military.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, also addressed the issue on X, noting that Russia had failed to present any evidence. “Almost a day passed and Russia still hasn’t provided any plausible evidence to its accusations of Ukraine’s alleged ‘attack on Putin’s residence.’ And they won’t. Because there’s none. No such attack happened,” Sybiha wrote.
Trump Reaction and Diplomatic Fallout
Russian state media reported that Trump reacted strongly during his phone call with Putin, expressing anger over the alleged drone attack. Kremlin presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Trump was “shocked by this information, literally outraged” by what he described as “such reckless actions,” according to the Russian state news agency Tass. Ushakov added that the incident was said to have implications for how the United States might approach future dealings with Zelenskyy.
Trump later addressed the issue directly when questioned by reporters in Florida, appearing to accept Russia’s account of events. “I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it,” Trump said. He added, “This is not the right time. It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that.”
Some commentators on social media suggested that Russia may have used the alleged drone attack to test Trump’s stance toward Ukraine or to weaken prospective security guarantees being discussed as part of a peace agreement. Olena Halushka, co-founder of the International Centre for Ukrainian Victory, commented on X, “This is how supposedly ironclad ‘security guarantees for Ukraine’ would fall apart: one Russian false-flag operation — or just a lie … and they’re gone.”
When asked whether U.S. intelligence confirmed that the attack had actually occurred, Trump acknowledged uncertainty, stating it was “possible” the incident did not happen. He added, however, “President Putin told me this morning it did.”
Alleged Drone Attack and Rising Tensions
The competing claims surrounding the alleged drone attack have added another layer of tension to an already fragile diplomatic moment, with both Russia and Ukraine accusing each other of bad faith while peace negotiations continue. As of now, no independent evidence has been presented publicly to substantiate Russia’s claim, and Ukraine continues to deny that any such strike took place.
