Overview
- Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said 91 long-range drones targeted Putin’s state residence in Russia’s Novgorod region and claimed air defenses destroyed them all without injuries or damage.
- Ukraine rejected the allegation as a fabrication, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying Moscow aims to undermine diplomacy and justify further strikes on Ukrainian targets.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry offered different figures, reporting 89 drones downed nationwide and only 18 over Novgorod, and analysts noted it is unusual for Lavrov to announce such incidents.
- The Kremlin said Putin told President Trump about the alleged attack and that Russia will revise its negotiating position, while Moscow described Trump as shocked and the White House called the call productive.
- The claim arrives during U.S.-led talks that officials said had advanced after Trump met Zelensky in Florida, yet key disputes over Donbas and any ceasefire for a referendum remain unresolved and no independent verification of the alleged strike has been presented.