Moscow released a video it says shows the wreckage of an aircraft downed near the Russian leader’s home in north-west Russia, a claim an EU diplomat has dismissed as “unfounded” and a deliberate attempt to distract from peace efforts
Moscow released a video it says shows the wreckage of an aircraft downed near President Vladimir Putin’s home in north-west Russia, a claim an EU diplomat has dismissed as “unfounded” and a deliberate attempt to distract from peace efforts.
Russia’s defence ministry published the footage on Wednesday, alleging Ukraine launched a drone attack on Putin’s residence earlier this week — an accusation Kyiv has firmly denied, calling it a “lie” and a “fabrication” intended to manipulate the peace process.
Moscow described the incident as both a “terrorist attack” and a “personal attack” on Putin, warning it would harden Russia’s position in any negotiations over the war in Ukraine.
The allegation surfaced shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with US President Donald Trump in Florida. Ukrainian officials rejected the claim, saying it was designed to derail diplomatic momentum.
The European Union echoed that assessment.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said Russia was pushing “unfounded claims” that Ukraine fired drones at Putin’s residence, calling the allegation a “deliberate distraction” from real progress toward peace by Ukraine and its Western partners.
The video released by Russia, filmed at night, shows what appears to be a damaged drone lying in snow in a forested area. The defence ministry said the alleged attack was “targeted, carefully planned and carried out in stages.”
Russia has not disclosed where Putin was at the time, saying only that the incident occurred on the night of December 28–29 at his residence in the Novgorod region. The locations of Putin’s residences are normally kept secret.
According to the ministry, the attack began around 7:00 pm on December 28 and involved a “mass” drone launch, though it said the residence itself was not damaged.
The ministry also released footage of a man it identified as a local resident from the settlement of Roshchino, presented as a witness to the incident.
With inputs from agencies
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