Russia claims it handed US "evidence" of attempted Ukrainian strike on Putin’s residence

Russian authorities have claimed that they have handed over alleged "evidence" to the US purporting to show that Ukrainian forces attempted to strike the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's residence in Russia's Novgorod Oblast with drones.

A video posted on the Russian Defence Ministry's Telegram channel shows Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, handing what is said to be a drone control mechanism recovered from debris to a US military attaché.

"Materials containing decoded routing data and a controller of a Ukrainian UAV, downed by Russian air defence systems on the night of 28-29 December 2025 over Novgorod Oblast during a terrorist attack on the residence of the president of Russia, have been handed over to a representative of the military attaché's office at the US Embassy in Moscow," the Russian Defence Ministry said. [N.B. European Pravda doesn't recognise Putin as president – ed.]

"We assume that this step will remove any questions and make it possible to establish the truth," Kostyukov said in the video.

On Wednesday 31 December, The Wall Street Journal reported that US national security officials had dismissed Russia's claims of an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Putin's residence.

US President Donald Trump posted a New York Post editorial on social media accusing Russia of blocking peace in Ukraine by spreading a fake story about an "attack" on the residence.

Ukraine has denied carrying out any such attack and described the allegations as part of a Russian disinformation campaign aimed at driving a wedge between Kyiv and Washington.