Kremlin Calls Alleged Drone Attack on Putin’s Residence a Terrorist Act

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the situation surrounding the alleged attempt by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to strike the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod Region.

Photo: kremlin.ru by Пресс-служба Кремля, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

Dmitry Peskov

The press secretary to the Russian leader described the incident as a terrorist act directed not only against Putin personally, but also against the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump to bring the conflict to an end. Peskov also called statements from the Ukrainian side about the incident “madness.”

Ukraine Will Face Consequences

According to Peskov, Russia will toughen its negotiating position on Ukraine. At the same time, he stressed that the Kremlin would not publicly disclose how exactly this would be done.

He added that Russia is not withdrawing from the negotiation process on settling the conflict, but will conduct discussions primarily with the United States, and in particular with President Trump.

The Kremlin spokesman also found it difficult to assess how far Kyiv’s actions had set back the process of resolving the Ukrainian crisis.

Commenting on a possible response to the alleged attack, Peskov said that Russia’s military knows what needs to be done.

“As for the military consequences, our military knows how, with what, and when to respond.”

Peskov Comments on Putin’s Whereabouts

Peskov emphasized that after the attempt to strike the president’s residence, the question of Putin’s whereabouts is not subject to public discussion.

At the same time, he noted that the president will address Russians with his traditional New Year’s greeting, as usual at midnight.

Kremlin Assesses Kyiv’s Denials

Peskov said that Kyiv’s attempts to justify itself are “madness.”

“We see that [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky himself is trying to deny this, and many Western media outlets, playing along with the Kyiv regime, are beginning to push the narrative that this (the AFU attack — ed.) supposedly did not happen.”

Earlier, the Ukrainian president refused to acknowledge Kyiv’s involvement in the alleged attack on Putin’s residence using 91 drones, claiming the information was fabricated.

Peskov, in turn, stressed that the attack was so massive that no additional evidence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ involvement was required.

Russia is not withdrawing from the negotiation process to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, Peskov reiterated, but will continue talks primarily with the United States.

“Russia is not withdrawing from the negotiation process [on Ukraine] and, naturally, will continue the negotiation process and dialogue — first and foremost with the Americans,” he said.