HIBAPRESS
Russia said on Thursday that it had extracted and decrypted a file from a Ukrainian drone shot down in recent days, indicating that it was targeting a Russian presidential residence and that it would hand over the relevant information to the United States.
Moscow accused Kyiv on Monday of attempting to strike the residence of President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod region of northern Russia using 91 long-range attack drones. It said that Russia would review its negotiating position in the ongoing talks with the United States regarding ending the Ukrainian war. Ukraine and Western countries have cast doubt on the Russian narrative regarding the alleged targeting attempt. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Telegram on Thursday: "The decryption of guidance data revealed that the ultimate goal of the Ukrainian drone attack on December 29, 2025, was a facility at the Russian Presidential residence in the Novgorod region." The statement added: "These materials will be transferred to the American side through the established channels." The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, Wednesday, that American national security officials had concluded that Ukraine did not target Putin or one of his residences in a drone strike. Reuters has not yet been able to verify the report. Initially, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed sympathy with what Russia announced, and told reporters on Monday that Putin had informed him of the alleged incident and that he was "very angry" about it.
