Drone attacks on Putin’s residence: Moscow vows 'non-diplomatic' response to Kyiv

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned Kyiv on Monday that the response to a failed Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s state residence “will not be diplomatic.”

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported that the “Kyiv regime” launched a massive attack overnight on December 28-29, utilizing 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The target was the state residence of the Russian President in the Novgorod Region.

According to Lavrov, all 91 drones were intercepted, resulting in no casualties or material damage.

Lavrov stated that while Moscow remains committed to the US-mediated peace process, “Russia’s negotiating position will be revised” in light of Ukraine’s “reckless actions.”

“Targets for retaliatory strikes and the time for their implementation by the Russian Armed Forces have been determined,” the minister cautioned.

Zakharova reinforced this stance, telling Russian media, “The responses will not be diplomatic, so they should not get their hopes up.” She described the attack as unprecedented because it occurred specifically while peace negotiations were underway in the United States.

“At the very moment when plans are being discussed, this… bloody, rabid terrorist group is undermining peace efforts,” she said.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov informed the media that U.S. President Donald Trump expressed shock during a phone conversation with President Putin on Monday. Trump was reportedly “outraged” and stated he could not have imagined such reckless actions from Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has denied the attack. He asserted that Russia is fabricating the incident as a pretext to derail the progress made by the U.S. and Ukraine, and to justify a future attack on the government quarter in Kyiv.