Russia has made a serious allegation against Ukraine, claiming to have recovered and decoded flight data from a drone that was shot down earlier this week. Moscow asserts that the information proves the unmanned aerial vehicle was targeting a facility at a Russian presidential residence.
The Allegation and the Decoded Data
On Thursday, Russia's defence ministry issued a statement via Telegram, providing details of its claim. The ministry stated that decryption of the drone's routing data revealed its final target was a facility at the Russian Presidential Residence in the Novgorod region. The incident is said to have occurred on December 29, 2025.
Moscow further announced its intention to share this information with the United States through established diplomatic channels. This claim follows an earlier accusation made on Monday, where Russia alleged that Kyiv attempted to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence using a fleet of 91 long-range drones.
International Reactions and Denials
The United States has swiftly rejected Russia's narrative. US officials confirmed that the CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed President Donald Trump on the assessment, which dismissed Moscow's claim about the alleged attack. President Trump's own stance appeared to shift during the week.
Initially, on Monday, Trump expressed sympathy for Russia's position, telling reporters that Putin had informed him of the incident and was "very angry". By Wednesday, however, the US President seemed more sceptical. He shared a New York Post editorial on social media that accused Russia of obstructing peace efforts in Ukraine.
Ukraine has vehemently denied any involvement. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy labelled Russia's claim "a complete fabrication". He suggested the accusation was part of a disinformation campaign aimed at creating a rift between Kyiv and Washington, especially following his weekend meeting with Trump.
Geopolitical Context and Fallout
This tense episode unfolded shortly after Trump hosted Zelenskyy at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. While the meeting was publicly positive, little progress was reported on critical issues like security guarantees for Ukraine and Russian demands for territorial concessions.
Russia has stated that this drone incident will influence its position in ongoing, US-backed talks to end the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts continue. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, confirmed on Wednesday that he and other senior officials held discussions with Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and several European security officials as part of peace efforts.
The situation remains a high-stakes diplomatic flashpoint, with Russia presenting what it calls evidence, and Western allies and Ukraine dismissing it as a provocative false flag operation intended to justify further escalation.
