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Fact-Check: ISW Debunks Russia’s “Drone Attack on Putin” Narrative
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, an American nonprofit research group, say they have found no evidence to support claims by Russia’s foreign minister that Ukrainian drones targeted a residence used by Russian leader Vladimir Putin near Valdai in Russia’s Novgorod region in an assessment published on December 29.
ISW addressed statements by Sergey Lavrov, who alleged that Ukrainian forces carried out a large-scale drone attack against Putin’s residence in the area. According to ISW, such claims typically leave a trail of verifiable indicators—none of which were present in this case.
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The think tank noted that confirmed Ukrainian strikes inside Russia are usually accompanied by open-source evidence, including geolocated videos, visible air defense activity, explosions, fires, or smoke plumes near specific targets.
Additional confirmation often comes from statements by local or regional Russian officials—who frequently downplay successful strikes by labeling drones as “debris”—as well as reports from local residents or media outlets describing damage or fires.
ISW said it observed no such indicators related to Lavrov’s claim. Analysts found no visual evidence, no corroborating reports from regional authorities, and no local accounts suggesting a Ukrainian strike occurred near the Valdai residence.
The institute also highlighted inconsistencies in Russian official statements. Lavrov claimed that Russian air defenses shot down 89 Ukrainian drones over the Novgorod region, a figure that contradicts Russia’s own Ministry of Defense, which reported 47 drones intercepted in the region during the night of December 28–29. ISW said the discrepancy further undermines the credibility of the allegation.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russian accusation of Ukraine trying to strike the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin’s state residence, is untrue and aimed at disrupting the peace negotiations.
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