Putin residence attack video slammed; US officials say Ukraine did not target leader

This post was originally published on this site.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday released nighttime video footage it claimed shows the wreckage of a Ukrainian drone intercepted during an attempted attack on a residence used by President Vladimir Putin.

The video, filmed in a snow-covered, forested area in Russia, shows a Russian serviceman standing over debris that Moscow said belongs to aUkrainian-made Chaklun-V drone.

Russian officials also said the drone was shot down before it could strikePutin’s residence near Lake Valdaiin the Novgorod region and was carrying a six-kilogram explosive device that failed to detonate.

The footage was released as Moscow faced mounting skepticism over its account of events.

PUTIN REJECTS KEY PARTS OF US PEACE PLAN AS KREMLIN OFFICIAL WARNS EUROPE FACES NEW WAR RISK: REPORT

Satellite imagery shows Vladimir Putin’s residential complex in Roshchino, Novgorod Region, Russia Aug.31, 2023. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)

The Wall Street Journalreported Wednesday that U.S.national security officials concluded Ukraine did not target Putin or any of his residences in the alleged drone incident.

The Journal said the finding was supported by a CIA assessment that determined no attempted attack on Putin occurred, citing a U.S.official briefed on the intelligence.

Instead, Ukraine, they said, was believed to be targeting a military site it had previously struck in the same region but not near Putin’s residence, the official said.

Ukrainian officials have continued to reject the allegations, with a military drone expert claiming the video provided little evidence of an attempted strike on one of Russia’s most heavily secured locations.

UKRAINE SAYS IT CARRIED OUT FIRST-EVER UNDERWATER DRONE STRIKE ON RUSSIAN SUBMARINE IN NOVOROSSIYSK

Russia releases drone footage of the alleged Ukraine attack on Putin’s residence.(Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters )

“This footage, unfortunately, does not offer proof of anything other than that there is a wrecked drone on the ground somewhere being stood over by a Russian serviceman,”PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA WON’T LAUNCH NEW ATTACKS ON OTHER COUNTRIES ‘IF YOU TREAT US WITH RESPECT’

The Russian Defense ministry shows a downed drone after an alleged drone attack on Putin’s residence.(Russian Defense Ministry/Handout via Reuters )

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi also dismissed the footage as “laughable,” saying Kyiv was “absolutely confident that no such attack took place,” according toReuters.

Russia alleges the drone was part of abroader Ukrainian operationtargeting Putin’s residence earlier this week.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted 91 drones had been intercepted en route to Putin’s residence, a figure that appeared to conflict with earlier Defense Ministry statements.

The ministry initially reported that 89 drones were shot down across eight regions, including 18 over Novgorod, before revising the numbers upward.

RUSSIA ALLEGES ATTACK ON PUTIN RESIDENCE AS UKRAINE DENIES CLAIM AHEAD OF TRUMP TALKS

A Ukrainian air intelligence soldier carries a drone in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine, May 10, 2024.(Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Only after Lavrov’s remarks did the Defense Ministry claim that 49 drones intercepted over Bryansk — nearly 300 miles from Valdai — were also targeting the presidential residence.

The ministry initially reported that 89 drones were shot down across eight regions, including 18 over Novgorod, before revising the numbers upward.

The timing of the allegations has also drawn scrutiny, coming shortly after what Moscow described publicly as a positive meeting between President Trump andUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyyin Florida.

Zelenskyy also called thealleged drone attacka “complete fabrication,” saying it was designed to justify further Russian strikes and undermine diplomatic efforts.

onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukraine’s denials and said Moscow would toughen its diplomatic stance.

S.overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.