Russia's claim of attack on Putin's residence is deliberate distraction, EU diplomacy chief says
Photo: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (Getty Images)
Russia's claim that Ukraine attacked Vladimir Putin's residence in Valdai is a deliberate distraction, according to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
"Russia’s claim that Ukraine recently targeted key government sites in Russia is a deliberate distraction. Moscow aims to derail real progress towards peace by Ukraine and its Western partners," Kallas says.
She stresses that no one should accept the unfounded statements of an aggressor who has indiscriminately attacked Ukraine's infrastructure and civilian population since the beginning of the war.
Russia's statement
Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Ukraine allegedly carried out a drone attack on Vladimir Putin's state residence in the Novgorod region on the night of December 29, referring to the residence in Valdai.
According to Lavrov, Russian troops allegedly destroyed 91 Ukrainian drones.
At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that 89 + 23 drones were intercepted in all regions, 41 of them over the Novgorod region.
Thus, the fate of about 50 drones remains unknown.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied Russia's accusations of an attack on Putin's residence and warned that such statements could be preparation for new strikes on Ukraine.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump said that Putin had informed him of an attack that was allegedly directed at one of his residences. He called this move not good.
For more details on the so-called attack on Putin's residence, Ukraine's reaction, the position of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, and discrepancies in the statements of the Russian authorities, see RBC-Ukraine's report.
