Ukraine Not Responsible For Drone Attack On Putin’s Residence, Says Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected Russia’s claim that Ukraine carried out a drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences.

Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, alleged that Ukraine launched 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight on Sunday at Putin’s state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region.

Russia said all the drones were intercepted by its air defence systems and that no casualties or damage were recorded. It remains unclear where Putin was there at the time of the alleged incident.

Zelenskyy dismissed the accusation as “typical Russian lies,” warning that the claim could be used by the Kremlin as a pretext to intensify attacks on Ukraine and harden its position in peace negotiations.

“Everyone must be vigilant now. Absolutely everyone. A strike may be launched on the capital,” Zelenskyy told journalists on Monday, adding that Russia’s statements amounted to a “threat.”

He said Russia was “looking for reasons” to continue the war and viewed any progress toward a ceasefire as a “failure.”

In a post on X, the Ukrainian president urged the international community not to remain silent, saying Russia must not be allowed to sabotage efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace.

Lavrov, in a statement shared on Telegram, said Russia would revise its negotiating position in light of what he described as the “final degeneration” of the Ukrainian government.

However, he added that Moscow did not intend to withdraw from talks with the United States, according to Russian news agency Tass.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin said it would not present evidence to support its claim, with a spokesman telling reporters that Russia would now “toughen” its stance in negotiations.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, called on other countries to ignore what he described as Russia’s false allegations.

“Almost a day has 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 is none,” he wrote on X.

The allegation comes shortly after talks between the United States and Ukraine in Florida on Sunday, where President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy discussed a revised peace plan.

Following the meeting, Zelenskyy told Fox News on Monday that there was a “possibility to finish this war” in 2026, but stressed that Ukraine could not succeed without continued US support.

He said the United States had offered Ukraine security guarantees lasting 15 years, with Trump indicating that an agreement on the issue was “close to 95%” complete.

Zelenskyy identified territorial disputes and the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as the remaining unresolved issues, while little progress has been made over the future of the Donbas region, much of which remains under Russian control.

The White House said on Monday that President Trump had held a “positive call” with Putin following the US-Ukraine talks.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin raised the alleged drone attack during the conversation, claiming it occurred shortly after what the United States viewed as a successful round of
negotiations.

Ushakov said Trump was “shocked” and “angry” over the report and suggested it could affect the US approach to engaging with Zelenskyy.

Trump later told reporters he had been informed of the incident by Putin and was “very angry,” though he acknowledged that it was also possible the attack had not taken place.