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RussiaClaims Ukraine launched 91 drones strike Vladimir PutinHis private residence could derail months of negotiations for a peace deal to end Moscow’s invasion.
ukraine leader Vladimir Zelensky have Calling the claims “complete fabrications”“Aimed to lay the groundwork for future attacks on Kiev and other parts of Ukraine.
“I’m sure they’re just preparing for a strike, maybe in the capital, maybe in government buildings,” he said.
Donald Trump appeared to be influenced by Russia’s statement and said he was “very angry” at news of the attack. That reaction may be part of the purpose of Moscow’s accusations – Trump’s support has wavered between Kyiv and Moscow in recent months.
Europe seeks EU foreign policy chief’s support for Kyiv kaja kara In remarks Wednesday, he called the claims “baseless” and a “deliberate distraction.”
“Moscow aims to undermine real progress towards peace by: Ukraine and its Western partners,” Karas wrote on X/Twitter on Wednesday.
“No one should accept the baseless claims of the aggressors, who have been indiscriminately targeting Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians since the beginning of the war.”
Where did the attack occur?
Putin’s Valdai residence, also known as “Uzhin” or “Dolgiye Borody,” is a heavily guarded complex located on the shores of Lake Valdai, 360 kilometers (225 miles) north of Moscow. His whereabouts at the time of the incident have not been confirmed but he is not believed to be home.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that 91 drones were shot down on their way to Valdai, 49 of which were shot down over the Bryansk region, 450 kilometers away from Valdai, one was shot down over Smolensk, and 41 were shot down over the densely forested Novgorod region.
Ukrainian military capabilities
Oleksandr Kovalenko, a Ukrainian military and security analyst at Information Resistance, said that from a technical point of view, Ukraine does have the weapons to launch an attack on President Putin’s official residence using drones and missile systems.
Because the residence is 400 miles (650 kilometers) from the launch site on the Ukrainian border, strikes against Russia can be carried out up to 430 miles (700 kilometers) away.
“Ukraine has long-range attack drones with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, as well as missile systems capable of covering such distances, namely the R-360 Neptune missile and, of course, the FP-5 Flamingo missile, which is also capable of reaching this range,” Kovalenko said. The Independent. “So technically such an attack is possible.”
On-the-ground evidence
However, some commentators noted that little evidence was provided about the attack.
The Institute for War Studies (ISW), which is usually able to verify attacks, said there was no open source evidence (such as geolocation video, visible air defense activity, explosions or smoke) to support the claims. Unlike previous drone strikes, Russian civilians did not appear to have posted videos of the explosions, smoke or other footage on social media.
Valdai residents told moscow times They heard no evidence of a military attack that night.
“There were no reports of air raid sirens in the area,” Kovalenko said. “No drones heading towards Valdai were detected. Yes, there was an attack that night, but not in the direction of Valdai and the number of drones involved was much smaller and moving along a completely different axis.”
He added: “Air defense systems were not active in the area that night. No air defense activity was reported by local residents. No surveillance channels or open source intelligence analysts recorded an attack or drone flight of this magnitude in this direction.”
The number of drones reported by Russian authorities is also inconsistent, ISW said. Lavrov claimed that 89 drones were shot down over Novgorod, while the Ministry of Defense said the actual number was 47.
While some Russian Telegram channels appear to show thick smoke billowing from certain areas, this has not been independently confirmed.
But despite Kremlin The Defense Ministry initially said it would not provide evidence to substantiate its very serious accusations, but on Wednesday released a video it hoped would challenge Kiev.
The video showed a soldier standing next to fragments of a device said to be a downed, unexploded Ukrainian Chaklun-V drone, which contained a 6 kilogram explosive device. The ministry did not explain how it knew the device’s intended location and target.
In addition, many people, including U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, foreign policy chief Karas, and sources close to Macron, have expressed doubts about the authenticity of the incident.
“It’s unclear whether this actually happened,” Whitaker told Fox Business, adding that he wanted to know U.S. intelligence on the incident.
Ukraine’s past strategy
Some believe Ukraine will shrewdly target high-value symbolic sites because it cannot compete with Russia’s military capabilities.
Ukraine has previously used camouflaged truck-launched drones to carry out attacks deep inside Russia, and does have a history of assassinating Russian military figures.
The attack occurred days after Zelensky Seems to want Putin dead In a Christmas message.
In 2023, Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Kremlin with drones in an attempt to assassinate Putin. The claims sparked widespread controversy at the time, with Ukraine denying any involvement and accusing Russia of escalating the war.
but one new york times A subsequent investigation revealed that U.S. intelligence agencies believed Ukrainian security services were behind the attack, but it was unclear whether Zelensky or other officials were aware of the plan.