Russia publishes fake drone flight map days after claim of "attack on Putin residence"
Two days after claiming that Ukrainian UAVs had attempted to attack one of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's residences, Russia's Defence Ministry has published a fake map showing the alleged route of the Ukrainian drones. The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has outlined facts indicating that the Russian claims are not credible.
Source: Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine; map published by Russia's Defence Ministry
Details: The Russian map purports to show the flight path of the Ukrainian drones that allegedly attempted to attack Putin's residence.
The Russians claim that they destroyed 50 drones in Bryansk and Smolensk oblasts, while insisting that the UAVs were heading towards Putin's residence.
The Russians also claim that another 41 drones were destroyed in Novgorod Oblast.
Putin's residence is in Russia's northwestern Novgorod Oblast, 20 km from the town of Valdai, near the village of Dolgiye Borody.
Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service believes Russia is conducting an information operation aimed at derailing agreements between the presidents of Ukraine and the US.
The Ukrainian intelligence service has noted that a number of facts indicate that the story about an attack on Putin's residence is fake:
- local residents in Novgorod Oblast did not report a drone attack or any consequences of an attack at any time on 29 December;
- there is no factual evidence (wreckage, photos, videos) of downed UAVs, and the Kremlin has been unable to present any for almost a day since its information operation began;
- Russia's Defence Ministry has twice amended its reports to match the Kremlin's narratives, initially reporting 18 UAVs from Ukraine's defence forces and later increasing the number to 23.
Previously:
- Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia will not withdraw from the negotiation process on ending the war in Ukraine, but will conduct talks primarily with the Americans. He threatened that Russia would "toughen up" its "negotiating stance".
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted that Russia has failed to provide any credible evidence of the alleged Ukrainian attack on Putin's residence over the past 24 hours. Sybiha added that Moscow would not produce any such evidence, because no attack took place.
- Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Russia's crude fabrication about an alleged drone attack on Putin's residence in Valdai is merely an excuse for Moscow to abandon peace efforts.
Background:
- Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ukraine had struck Putin's residence on the night of 28-29 December, warning that Russia's "negotiating position" would be revised as a result.
- Lavrov claimed that overnight, Ukraine attacked Putin's residence in Russia's Novgorod Oblast (probably Valdai) using 91 attack UAVs, and that Russian air defence systems had destroyed all the drones. Lavrov said that "Russia's negotiating position will be revised", but added that Russia does not intend to withdraw from the negotiation process with the US regarding Ukraine.
- Ukraine has officially denied these claims.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented: "Another lie by Russia. Obviously, yesterday we had the meeting with Trump, and obviously for the Russians, if there is no quarrel between America and us, and we have progress instead, then that is a failure for them. They don't want to end this war. They are only capable of ending it under pressure. And so they were looking, I am convinced, for reasons… and they are going further."
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