Russia Accuses Kyiv of Drone Attack on Presidential Residence as Ukraine Rejects Claims

Moscow, Dec 2025 : Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of carrying out a large-scale overnight drone attack targeting the presidential state residence in the Novgorod region, even as Kyiv strongly denied the allegation and dismissed it as a pretext for further Russian strikes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ukraine launched what he described as a “terrorist attack” using 91 long-range strike drones during the night of December 28–29. According to Lavrov, the drones were aimed at the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation in the northwestern Novgorod region.

Speaking to the media, Lavrov said all the incoming drones were intercepted and destroyed by the air defence systems of the Russian Armed Forces. He added that there were no reports of casualties or damage resulting from falling debris, stressing that Russian security systems had effectively neutralised the threat.

Lavrov underlined that the alleged attack came at a sensitive moment, coinciding with what he described as intensive negotiations between Russia and the United States aimed at finding a political resolution to the Ukraine conflict. He warned that such actions, if confirmed, would have serious consequences.

“These reckless provocations will not go unanswered,” Lavrov said, adding that the Russian military had already identified targets for retaliatory strikes and determined the timing for their execution. At the same time, he asserted that Moscow had no intention of withdrawing from talks with Washington, despite what it sees as repeated provocations.

Ukraine, however, categorically rejected the accusation. President Volodymyr Zelensky denied any involvement in an attack on the Russian presidential residence, calling the claim “another lie from the Russian Federation.”

Zelensky said such allegations were routinely used by Moscow to justify intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, including strikes on the capital Kyiv. He argued that Russia was attempting to manufacture a narrative that would allow it to escalate military action while shifting blame onto Ukraine.

“They’re simply preparing the ground to carry out strikes, probably on the capital and probably on government buildings,” Zelensky said. He described the alleged residence attack as a “complete fabrication.”

The Ukrainian leader also stressed that Kyiv does not take actions that could undermine diplomatic efforts, asserting that it is Russia that repeatedly escalates tensions during sensitive diplomatic moments.

The sharply conflicting statements highlight the deep mistrust between the two sides and underscore the fragile state of diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the nearly three-year-old conflict, even as military tensions continue to simmer.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)