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Moscow has accused Kyiv of trying to hit a presidential residence in the north Russiaan allegation that Ukrainian leaders have dismissed as a lie aimed at allowing Moscow to continue the war in Ukraine.
What is Russia’s accusation?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov On Monday, Ukraine accused Ukraine of attacking a presidential residence in the Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones overnight and said Russia would retaliate.
He said no one was injured and that while Moscow was not walking away from negotiations over ending the war in Ukraine, its negotiating position was being reviewed following the attack, which he called “state terrorism.”
Lavrov has not provided any evidence to support this accusation. He added that Russia had already identified targets in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the Russian accusations as “another set of lies” aimed at justifying further attacks on Ukraine and prolonging the ongoing war since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022.
“This so-called ‘residential strike’ story is a pure fabrication intended to justify further attacks on Ukraine, including in kyiv, as well as Russia’s refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies,” he said.
Russia has often launched hundreds of drones and fired missiles in almost daily attacks on Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday urged world leaders to condemn Russia for its allegations, and added Tuesday: “Almost a day has passed and Russia still has not provided plausible evidence for its accusations regarding Ukraine’s alleged attack on Putin’s residence. And it will not do so. Because there is none. No such attack took place.”
The Valdai Residence, also known as “Uzhin” or “Dolgiye Borody”, is a heavily guarded compound located on the shores of Lake Valdai, approximately 360 km (225 miles) north of Moscow.
Where was Putin at the time of the attack?
It is unclear where Putin was at the time of the alleged attack, but he held meetings Saturday and Monday in the Kremlin. Putin has not yet publicly commented on the situation and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that in light of recent events, such details should not be made public.
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Shortly before Lavrov issued his statement, Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin with Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov and top generals about the war in Ukraine. He did not mention any Ukrainian drone attack against the residence.
Putin informed Trump of the attack on Monday.
“I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump said journalists.
“It’s one thing to be offensive,” Trump said. “It’s another thing to attack your house. It’s not a good time to do anything. And I heard about it today from President Putin. I was very angry about it.”
After Lavrov’s statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said 91 drones were shot down en route to the presidential residence, including 49 over the Bryansk region, located 450 km from Valdai, one over the Smolensk region and 41 over the heavily forested Novgorod region.
The Defense Ministry had not mentioned any attack on the residence in its previous reports on military action. Novgorod Governor Alexander Dronov said air defense and combat aircraft were shooting down Ukrainian drones.
Asked whether Russia had physical evidence of the drone attack, Peskov said Tuesday that the issue of the wreckage was a matter for the Defense Ministry.
Has Russia ever accused Ukraine of similar attacks?
Russia accused Ukraine in 2023 of attacking the Kremlin with drones in what it called an attempt to assassinate Putin. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the incident and accused Russia of fabricating a pretext for an escalation of the war.
The New York Times later reported that U.S. intelligence agencies believed Ukraine’s security services were behind the attack, but it was unclear whether Zelenskiy or his top officials knew about the operation. Some officials believed Zelenskiy was unaware, the statement said.
Russia said Monday it would retaliate and revise its position in peace talks, although it said it would not leave the negotiations.
“The diplomatic consequence will be a hardening of the negotiating position of the Russian Federation,” Peskov said on Tuesday. He did not specify which targets Russia might strike, but said the military knows when and how to respond.
