Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Ukraine of launching a series of military drones at a state residence in the Novgorod region linked to President Vladimir Putin, a claim Kyiv has denied.
Moscow said all 91 long-range drones fired overnight were intercepted by air defence systems, and Lavrov warned that “such reckless actions will not go unanswered,” suggesting Russia could revise its position in ongoing peace talks. Russian authorities said Putin was unharmed and the residence sustained no significant damage, but maintained that the incident amounted to “state terrorism.”
Ukraine rejected the claims, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling the alleged attack a “typical Russian lie” and accusing Moscow of seeking a pretext to derail negotiations and justify further military action.
Zelensky said the timing was deliberate, coming immediately after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, during which Washington pledged a 15-year security guarantee for Ukraine.
Trump later said he had held a “positive phone call” with Putin but could not confirm the alleged attack with intelligence, adding that it would become clear “in a few weeks” whether the peace plan would succeed.
