US intel disputes Russian claim of Kyiv drone plot on Putin

The Kremlin announced on 29 December that Ukraine had attempted to assassinate President Vladimir Putin using a large-scale drone strike on his state residence in the Novgorod region.

Moscow officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, alleged that 91 long-range drones were launched and intercepted before reaching their target, describing the incident as an escalation by Kyiv and proof of hostile intent during US-mediated peace negotiations.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence released imagery it said showed debris from a downed Ukrainian drone fitted with explosives. Officials claimed to have recovered routing data indicating a flight path toward a presidential residence and stated that the material would be provided to Washington as evidence.

Ukraine rejected the story outright, calling it a fabrication intended to disrupt talks and justify future Russian operations. Ukrainian officials framed the allegation as a disinformation effort timed to influence international opinion and pressure Western partners. Several European governments issued similar assessments, describing the accusation as strategically timed and unsupported by available information.

By 31 December, US intelligence agencies had assessed that the strike had not targeted Putin or any of his residences, according to an exclusive by The Wall Street Journal. The paper reported that a Central Intelligence Agency review found no evidence of an assassination attempt. Some US officials suggested Ukraine may have been operating drones against a separate military objective in the same region, though this has not been confirmed publicly and open-source reporting has not independently verified that claim.

Initial comments from US President Donald Trump, following a conversation with Putin, appeared sympathetic to Moscow’s account. After subsequent briefings from US intelligence, his public stance shifted toward scepticism, with the President reportedly warning that elements of the Russian narrative risked obstructing ongoing peace efforts.