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58m ago

U.S. Intelligence Disputes Kremlin Attack Claim as Russia Deploys Nuclear-Capable Missiles to Belarus

U.S. intelligence skepticism is reshaping responses to disputed claims that threaten fragile peace talks.

A screen grab from a video shows installation of the Oreshnik missile system on December 30, 2025 in Belarus.
A Russian service member stands next to the remains of a drone, which, according to the Russian Defence Ministry, was downed during the repelling of an alleged Ukrainian attack on the Russian presidential residence in the Novgorod Region, in an unknown location in Russia, in this still image from a video released December 31, 2025. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
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Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the nearly four-year-long Ukraine offensive, in Moscow on Dec. 29, 2025.

Overview

  • Russia said its new Oreshnik missile system is now in Belarus, with Alexander Lukashenko citing 10 planned units and Vladimir Putin declaring the system in active service.
  • The NSA and CIA assessed there is no evidence Ukraine attempted to strike Putin’s Novgorod-area residence, a finding that shifted President Donald Trump’s public stance toward skepticism.
  • Moscow released video it says shows a downed Ukrainian drone tied to the alleged plot, but Ukraine, EU officials, and open-source monitors reported no corroborating evidence and described the claim as fabricated.
  • Russian long-range attacks continued as Odesa authorities reported six people injured, including children, and damage to apartment blocks and energy facilities during overnight drone strikes.
  • Russian-installed officials in occupied Kherson claimed a Ukrainian drone strike killed 24 people in Khorly, a report not independently verified, as negotiators pressed forward with U.S.-mediated talks and Zelenskyy said a peace framework is roughly 90% complete.