 "Russia says Ukraine targeted Putin’s residence in drone attack; Zelenskyy calls it a 'lie'")
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Ukraine carried out a drone attack targeting President Vladimir Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod region. He added that 91 drones were intercepted and brought down.
“Given the final transformation of the criminal Kyiv regime, which has shifted to a policy of state terrorism, Russia’s negotiating position will be revised,” Lavrov said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Putin was at the Dolgiye Borody, or Long Beards, residence—historically used by leaders including Stalin, Khrushchev, Yeltsin, and Putin himself. On Monday, he also ordered Russian forces to press on with efforts to seize full control of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, after a Russian commander reported that Moscow’s troops were just 15 km (9.3 miles) from its largest city.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russia’s claim as a lie, saying Moscow is instead preparing to target government buildings in Kyiv, according to Reuters. He urged the US to respond to Russian threats and described the allegation as an effort to undermine progress in peace talks following his meeting with Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday.
While the talks didn’t yield a major breakthrough, the latest version of the peace plan includes a US commitment to guarantee Ukraine’s security for 15 years, with the option to extend that period, Zelenskyy said on Monday.
“Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team. We keep working together to bring peace closer,” Zelenskyy posted on X.
If confirmed, this would not be the first time Ukrainian drones have reached locations associated with Putin. In May 2023, a drone struck the Kremlin roof during a wider attack on Moscow, which Russian officials described as an attempted assassination of the president.
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