Overview
- Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alleged Ukraine sent 91 drones toward Putin’s Valdai compound and said all were intercepted without casualties or damage, yet Moscow has provided no verifiable proof.
- Kyiv rejects the accusation as a lie, while independent analysts report no corroboration, citing the absence of satellite thermal signatures, debris imagery, or eyewitness reports of air-defense activity.
- Official Russian narratives conflict, with the defense ministry and the Novgorod governor initially listing lower, region-split shootdowns that were later rebranded as part of a single attack on the residence.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov labeled the episode a terror attack and warned of a tougher negotiating posture, though he said Russia would not exit ongoing talks.
- President Trump said he was very angry after Putin briefed him on the alleged strike but conceded it may not have occurred, as experts flag a likely information operation aimed at shaping diplomacy or justifying retaliation.