Russia releases footage supposedly showing Ukrainian attack on Putin residence

Moscow, Russia - Russia's defense ministry published a video Wednesday of a downed drone that it says Ukraine launched at one of President Vladimir Putin's residences this week.

Russia released footage of a drone it claims was used to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence in Novgorod.  © via REUTERS

Russia has called it a "terrorist attack" and a "personal attack" against Putin, saying it will toughen its negotiation stance in Ukraine war talks.

It made the allegation shortly after Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with US President Donald Trump.

Both Ukraine and the European Union called the claims an effort to "derail" peace efforts.

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The video, shot at night in the dark, showed a damaged drone lying in snow in a forested area. The Russian ministry said the alleged attack was "targeted, carefully planned, and carried out in stages."

Russia has not said where Putin was at the time, saying the attack was launched on the night of December 28-29 at Putin's home in the Novgorod region. His residences are normally shrouded in secrecy.

The defense ministry said the attack started around 7:00 PM local time on December 28 and was a "mass" drone launch, but said the longtime leader's home was not damaged.

It also published a video with a man it called a witness, saying he was a local villager from the settlement of Roshchino.

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Russian officials have since rallied around Putin, who has insisted in recent weeks that he intends to seize the whole of Ukraine by force if diplomacy fails.

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