Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Ukraine tried to attack the residence of Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod Oblast with drones at night, Reuters reported, citing the Interfax agency. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a lie and accused Moscow of trying to torpedo the peace talks.
According to Lavrov, the Ukrainians used 91 drones, all of which were shot down. The minister added that no one was hurt in the attack and the drones did not cause any damage.
The head of Russian diplomacy said that in connection with the attack, Moscow would review its position in peace negotiations with Kiev. He also added that the Russian authorities do not intend to withdraw from them. Lavrov also announced that the Russian army has already selected the targets it will strike in retaliation. “Such reckless actions will not go unanswered,” said the Russian foreign minister, calling the alleged Ukrainian attack “state terrorism.” In the opinion of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushka, Moscow sees “Britain's influence in Ukraine's latest provocations,” Reuters reported, citing the TASS agency.
President Zelensky categorically denied that Ukrainian troops carried out an attack on Putin's residence in the Valdai region. Zelensky described them as “another wave of lies.” In a message released to the media, the Ukrainian leader accused Russia of trying to undermine progress in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
According to Zelensky, Putin is “preparing the ground for an attack on government buildings in Kiev.” The President of Ukraine appealed to US President Donald Trump to “take appropriate actions in response to Russian threats.”
Reuters emphasized that it had not been able to determine whether Putin spent the night from Sunday to Monday at his residence in the Novgorod Oblast, in northwestern Russia. It was recalled that in the past the residence was used by, among others: Soviet leaders Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev, and the first president of Russia after the collapse of the USSR, Boris Yeltsin.
“Reports about the alleged attack on Putin's residence are manipulation”
This is manipulation intended to undermine the peace process and justify further Russian attacks on Ukraine, said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiev, Andriy Sybiha, on Monday, commenting on reports from Moscow that Ukrainian forces were trying to attack the residence of Russian leader Vladimir Putin with drones.
“Russian manipulations regarding the alleged 'attempted attack on Putin's residence' are fabricated for only one purpose: to create a pretext and false justification for further Russian attacks on Ukraine, as well as to undermine and obstruct the peace process,” Sybiha wrote on X.
The minister said that this is a typical Russian tactic, which involves accusing the other side of what you are doing and planning.
“First of all, Russia has already attacked the Ukrainian government building this year. Secondly, Ukraine is attacking only legal military targets on Russian territory – in response to Russian attacks on Ukraine. Thirdly, Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is a country that was attacked and is defending itself in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter,” he emphasized.
Sybiha concluded that there could be no “false equivalence” between an aggressor and a country defending itself against aggression.
“We call on the world to condemn Russia's provocative statements aimed at hindering a constructive peace process. Ukraine remains committed to peace activities led by the United States, with the participation of European partners,” wrote the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.
Russia informed Trump
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said that US President Donald Trump was informed on Monday by Vladimir Putin about an attempted attack on the Russian leader's residence in the Novgorod Oblast.
Ushakov said that Putin, in a telephone conversation with Trump, warned that as a result of this incident, Russia would change its negotiating position in the ongoing talks on ending the war.
– The US president was shocked by this news, literally outraged, he said he could not even imagine such crazy actions – said Ushakov, quoted by Russian media. He added that Putin told Trump that these actions “will not remain unanswered.”
Discrepancies in the number of drones
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow claims that Ukraine tried to attack the residence of Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod Oblast with 91 drones, but these numbers do not match the data of the Ministry of Defense, according to which 89 drones were shot down or intercepted over the entire territory of Russia.
The independent “Novaya Gazeta” drew attention to this discrepancy in numbers.
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced on Monday morning that 89 drones were shot down or destroyed over the whole of Russia, including 18 over the Novgorod Oblast. In turn, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave the number of 91 drones – five times higher than 18 – when talking about an alleged attempt to attack a residence in this region.
In response to Lavrov's accusations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called them an attempt to “torpedo peace negotiations.”
The Kremlin, citing an alleged attempt to attack the residence, is threatening to change its negotiating position in the ongoing talks on ending the war. However, Putin's statements at the recent annual press conference indicate that Russia is not giving up the pretexts under which it launched the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
From Kiev Jarosław Junko (PAP)
