Russia has handed a representative from the office of the U.S. Embassy’s defense attaché decoded routing data and the controller from one of the Ukrainian drones that, according to Moscow, allegedly took part in an attack on Vladimir Putin’s residence at Valdai, said Russia’s Defense Ministry.
The ministry also released video of a meeting between Adm. Igor Kostyukov, head of Russia’s Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU), and a representative of the U.S. defense attaché. “I invited you on an important matter. We want to inform you: we found debris from unmanned aerial vehicles involved in this attack. In a number of these UAVs, the navigation systems are well preserved; they are technically functional,” Kostyukov said.
He said the controller and a description of it prepared by the Russian side are being turned over to the U.S. to “remove all questions” and “help establish the truth.”
Russia’s claims about an attempt to attack Putin’s residence
On December 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine tried to attack Putin’s residence in Novgorod region — “Dolgye Borody” on Lake Valdai — with 91 drones.
Lavrov also said that because of this “Russia’s negotiating position will be revised,” but that Moscow does not intend to pull out of talks with the U.S.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the allegation.
Trump himself also said that Putin informed him during a phone call that the “Dolgye Borody” residence had allegedly been attacked.
The U.S. President said he “was very angry” when he heard about it, but allowed that there may have been no attack.
The CIA and the NSA concluded that Ukraine did not attempt to attack Putin’s residence, according to sources for The Wall Street Journal and CNN.
According to CNN, on December 31 CIA Director John Ratcliffe informed U.S. President Donald Trump of the findings.
That same day, Trump posted on Truth Social a link to a New York Post editorial that ties the Russian authorities’ claims about an attack on Putin’s residence to the argument that “it is Russia that is standing in the way of peace.”
