Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting a mass drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s residence, claiming air defenses shot down 91 drones and calling it “state terrorism.” Ukraine has denied the allegation, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Moscow is spreading falsehoods to undermine diplomacy with the United States. No evidence or eyewitness accounts have been provided to support Russia’s claim, fueling skepticism in Europe. The accusation comes at a sensitive moment as former US President Donald Trump says a peace deal is nearly complete, and analysts suggest the claim may be aimed at influencing Trump’s stance rather than reflecting an actual attack.

Russia alleges Ukraine tried to hit Vladimir Putin’s residence in a mass drone attack on Monday. The foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Russian air defences shot down 91 drones, calling the attack an act of “state terrorism”.

Ukraine has denied the claim and Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Lavrov of spreading “typical Russian lies” to try to undermine diplomatic progress between Kyiv and Washington after a bilateral meeting with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Sunday.

The allegation comes at a delicate diplomatic moment as Trump insists a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is “95% done”. […]

What evidence has Moscow provided?

Absolutely none, and on Tuesday Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said there would be none forthcoming. […]

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, wrote on X on Tuesday: “We were disappointed and concerned to see the statements by Emirati, Indian and Pakistani sides expressing their concerns regarding the attack that never happened.” He said none of the three issued a statement when a Russian missile hit a Ukrainian government building in September.

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