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Days after Russia alleged that Ukraine targeted President Vladimir Putin’s official residence in a drone attack, Russian authorities on Thursday said they had shared what they described as evidence related to the incident with the United States, Anadolu Agency reported.
The drone strike earlier this week targeted the presidential residence located in the Novgorod region. Moscow has blamed Ukraine for the attack.
The Russian Defence Ministry released a video on Telegram showing a meeting between Igor Kostyukov, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff, and a representative from the US military attache office in Moscow. The meeting was held to present materials that Russia claims are linked to the alleged drone strike.
“I am Igor Kostyukov, chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia. I have invited you for an important matter. I would like to inform you that we have found the debris of unmanned aerial vehicles involved in this attack,” Kostyukov said while opening the meeting, as seen in the video.
During the meeting, Kostyukov displayed a device which he said was recovered from one of the drones. He claimed that several drones shot down during the incident had their navigation systems largely intact.
“In several of these drones, the navigation systems are well-preserved and technically functional. The decoding of the content of the memory of the navigation controllers of these drones, carried out by specialists of the Russian special services, unequivocally and accurately confirmed that the target of the attack was the complex of buildings of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation in the Novgorod region,” he said, quoted by Anadolu Agency.
Kostyukov later handed over the device to the US military representative,he said, “We want to hand over this controller and the description of this controller made by our specialists to you. We believe that this step will help to remove all questions and contribute to the establishment of the truth.”
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had said that Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone attack involving 91 drones on the night of December 29. He claimed all drones were intercepted and destroyed, and that there were no casualties or damage reported from falling debris, TASS reported.
According to TASS, Lavrov confirmed that all drones were successfully intercepted and destroyed, with no casualties or property damage reported.
He also warned that Moscow will respond to the attack and that the timing and targets of Russia’s retaliatory measures have already been determined.
The alleged attack has drawn international attention, with several global leaders condemning attacks on political leadership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his deep concern over reports regarding the targeting of the residence of Putin.
In a post on X, PM Modi urged all parties to prioritise diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict and to avoid any actions that could undermine them.”Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Ongoing diplomatic efforts offer the most viable path toward ending hostilities and achieving peace. We urge all concerned to remain focused on these efforts and to avoid any actions that could undermine them,” PM Modi said in his post on X.
Ukraine has rejected Russia’s allegations, denying any involvement in the drone strike. Kyiv has instead accused Moscow of attempting to escalate tensions and derail ongoing diplomatic and peace efforts.
Zelenskyy has rejected Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s claims, calling them “fabrications” and saying Ukraine will not take steps to undermine diplomacy.
“Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team. We keep working together to bring peace closer.
This alleged “residence strike” story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies. Furthermore, the Russians have already targeted Kyiv in the past, including the Cabinet of Ministers building,” Zelenskyy stated in a post on X.
Earlier this week, on Monday, US President Donald Trump, while speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club, said that he was very angry about the incident.
Trump said, “I don’t like it. It’s not good. I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it.”
“It’s a delicate period of time. This is not the right time. It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that,” he said. (ANI)
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