Overview
- Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones at the Novgorod-region residence overnight, claiming all were intercepted with no damage or casualties.
- Russia’s defense ministry listed drones downed over Bryansk, Smolensk and Novgorod, while the Kremlin provided no public evidence and deferred questions about wreckage to the military.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha rejected the accusation as a fabrication, saying Russia has shown no plausible proof and is preparing a pretext for strikes on Kyiv.
- President Donald Trump said Putin personally informed him and that he was “very angry,” as Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia would reassess its negotiating position.
- Moscow signaled retaliatory action and a tougher line in talks, hawkish Russian officials issued threats toward Ukrainian leadership, foreign governments voiced concern or condemnation, and independent analysts noted no corroborating imagery or data.