Overview
- U.S. national-security officials, backed by a CIA review, say there is no evidence Ukraine targeted a residence used by Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod region.
- Officials briefed on the intelligence assess Ukraine likely aimed at a military site in the broader region, not near Putin’s Valdai-area property, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed President Trump on the findings.
- Ukraine categorically denies the allegation, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi calling Russia’s purported evidence “laughable,” and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy labeling the claim a fabrication.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry released video of debris it says is a downed Chaklun-V drone carrying a six‑kilogram explosive, while officials issued varying tallies and targeting claims that remain unverified by independent sources.
- A separate 15‑second clip purporting to show strikes on the residence was fact-checked on X as AI-generated, as Western officials voiced skepticism that Moscow has substantiated its account.