Cross-accusations between Russia, the United States, Ukraine and the EU over the alleged drone attack on Putin's residence
The Russian Ministry of Defence has provided the United States with further evidence of the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Vladimir Putin's residence in Novgorod
Amidst the intensification of hostilities in the war in Ukraine, with Russian bombings in various Ukrainian cities coinciding with the arrival of the New Year, the United States, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union have become embroiled in a war of words over the alleged drone attack on Vladimir Putin's residence in Novgorod on 30 December.
New evidence
The latest development in this regard is that the Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday 1 January that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Admiral Igor Kostyukov, had handed over to a representative of the Office of the Military Attaché at the US Embassy in Moscow ‘materials containing decrypted route data and the controller of the Ukrainian drone’ shot down on the night of 29-30 December.
According to the Kremlin, this attack is not only an act of aggression against Russian President Vladimir Putin, but also against his US counterpart, Donald Trump, and his ‘efforts’ to reach a negotiated solution to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In addition, the Russian authorities have threatened that ‘such reckless actions will not go unanswered’.
Doubts from the United States
In the United States, Russia's complaint was first met with concern and then with scepticism, after the CIA questioned the veracity of the facts.
It all began last Monday, when Russian President Vladimir Putin informed Donald Trump, during a telephone conversation between the two, of the Ukrainian drone attack on one of his residences in the Russian city of Novgorod.
This aroused the logical concern of the US president, who ordered the CIA to investigate the facts.
After receiving the report from John Ratcliffe, director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, in which the CIA expressed its doubts about the veracity of the attack, Trump's position changed.
On Wednesday, 31 December, Trump himself shared a link on social media to a New York Post editorial entitled ‘Putin's bluster about “attack” shows Russia is the one standing in the way of peace’.
The CIA's conclusion is that the drone attack reported by Putin never actually took place. For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky categorically denied the attack on Putin's residence with Ukrainian drones.
According to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the video footage presented by Russia as evidence of an alleged attack on President Vladimir Putin's residence is ‘laughable’: ‘We are absolutely convinced that no such attack took place,’ said Heorhii Tykhyi.
The EU lashes out at Russia
Another interested party, the European Union, reacted strongly to the events. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, has accused Russia of attempting to ‘derail’ peace efforts with Ukraine by making unfounded accusations about the attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence.
In a post on her social media account, the former Prime Minister of Estonia between 2021 and 2024 said that ‘Russia's accusation that Ukraine recently attacked key government sites in Russia is intended to create a distraction’.