Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday released nighttime video footage it said shows the wreckage of a Ukrainian drone intercepted during an attempted attack on a home used by President Vladimir Putin.
The video, filmed in a snow-covered, forested area in Russia, shows a Russian soldier standing over debris that Moscow said belonged to a Ukrainian-made Chaklun-V drone.
Russian officials also said the drone was shot down before it could hit Putin’s residence near Lake Valdai in the Novgorod region and was carrying a six-kilogram explosive device that failed to detonate.
The footage was released as Moscow faced growing skepticism over its account of events.
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Satellite images show Vladimir Putin’s residential complex in Roshchino, Novgorod region, Russia, August 31, 2023. (Planet Labs PBC/handout via Reuters)
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that US national security officials concluded that Ukraine did not target Putin or any of his residences in the alleged drone incident.
The Journal said the finding was supported by a CIA assessment that found there had been no attempted attack on Putin, citing a U.S. official briefed on the intelligence community.
Instead, Ukraine was believed to be targeting a military site it had previously struck in the same region but not near Putin’s residence, the official said.
Ukrainian officials continue to reject the allegations, with a military drone expert claiming the video provides little evidence of an attempted attack on one of Russia’s most highly secured locations.
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Russia releases drone footage of alleged Ukrainian attack on Putin’s home. (Russian Ministry of Defense/Handout via Reuters)
Chell, whose company supplies drones to the US Department of Defense and its allies, said the drone shown in the video did not appear suitable for such a mission.
“The attacks that took place on December 29 also took place hundreds of kilometers away,” he added.
“The motors of the drone in this new footage are very small, and while capable of several hours of flight with the type of fixed-wing drone shown, it would be extremely slow and straightforward.
“This drone is not unusual for many Ukrainian drones, but these would only be used for infrastructure targets and woefully ineffective in an attack on a facility such as Putin’s residence,” Chell concluded.
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The Russian Ministry of Defense shows a crashed drone after an alleged drone attack on Putin’s home. (Russian Ministry of Defense/Handout via Reuters)
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi also dismissed the images as “laughable” and said Kiev was “absolutely certain that such an attack did not take place.” Reuters.
Russia claims the drone was part of a wider Ukrainian operation targeting Putin’s residence earlier this week.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that 91 drones had been intercepted on their way to Putin’s residence, a figure that appeared to contradict previous Defense Ministry statements.
The ministry initially reported that 89 drones had been shot down in eight regions, including 18 over Novgorod, before the number was revised upwards.
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A Ukrainian air intelligence soldier carries a drone toward Bakhmut, Ukraine, May 10, 2024. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Only after Lavrov’s comments did the Defense Ministry claim that 49 drones intercepted over Bryansk – almost 300 miles from Valdai – also targeted the presidential residence.
The ministry initially reported that 89 drones had been shot down in eight regions, including 18 over Novgorod, before the number was revised upwards.
The timing of the allegations has also drawn attention, coming shortly after what Moscow publicly described as a positive meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida.
Zelenskyy also called the alleged drone strike a “complete fabrication” and said it was intended to justify further Russian attacks and undermine diplomatic efforts.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukraine’s denials and said Moscow would toughen its diplomatic stance.
