U.S. Intelligence Debunks Russias Claims of Ukrainian Assault on Putins Valdai Residence

U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Ukraine did not carry out an attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences earlier this week, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal late Wednesday.

Russia alleges that Ukraine conducted a significant drone operation targeting Putin’s Valdai residence, located in the northwestern Novgorod region, between Sunday night and Monday morning. However, Kyiv has dismissed these claims as an attempt to undermine U.S.-mediated discussions aimed at resolving the conflict.

An unnamed U.S. official informed the WSJ that the CIA concluded there was no assault on Putin’s residence. The official noted that Ukrainian forces were instead attempting to strike a military site in a different area of the Novgorod region, which is distanced from Valdai.

The CIA chose not to comment on the matter, as per the WSJ, and there was no immediate reply from the White House.

Following the release of this information, Russia’s Defense Ministry stated on Thursday that it had retrieved flight mission data from one of the drones it intercepted during the supposed attack on Valdai, announcing its intent to share this information with U.S. authorities.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his frustration to reporters after Putin informed him via phone about the alleged Ukrainian strike on his residence.

However, just before the WSJ report was published, Trump downplayed Russia’s accusations in a post on Truth Social, where he shared a New York Post editorial titled «Putin ‘Attack’ Bluster Shows Russia Is the One Standing in the Way of Peace.»

This editorial contends that Russia is hindering efforts to conclude the war and suggests that any assault on Putin would be «more than justified» in light of supposed Russian assassination attempts on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry provided its first comprehensive account regarding the alleged attack on Putin’s Valdai residence. During a briefing, the ministry presented a map purportedly displaying the flight routes of over 90 Ukrainian drones, accompanied by video evidence of what it claimed was a downed drone.

The Defense Ministry reported that more than half of the drones were intercepted hundreds of kilometers from Valdai, in regions close to Ukraine’s border that are regularly subjected to Ukrainian strikes. It did not clarify how they determined that those drones were headed toward Valdai.

Moscow has indicated that it will reassess its stance in peace negotiations following the alleged incident, a decision that raised concerns that the occurrence might have been fabricated, potentially aimed at hindering U.S.-led efforts to conclude the war at a time when both Trump and Zelensky claimed that progress was being made.