CIA rejects Putin's claim of Ukrainian attack on his residence, as Russia hands over alleged 'evidence'
Editor's note: This story has been updated to note that Russia's military intelligence agency provided U.S. officials with alleged evidence of a Ukrainian drone targeting Putin's residence.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has assessed that Ukraine did not target a residence used by Russian President Vladimir Putin, confirming Kyiv's immediate denial and undercutting claims made by the Kremlin on Dec. 29, U.S. officials told CNN on Jan. 1.
The assessment was reportedly delivered to U.S. President Donald Trump by CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Russia had publicly accused Ukraine of launching 91 drones toward a residence used by Vladimir Putin — a claim Putin personally relayed to Trump in a phone call. Trump initially said he was "very angry" over the reported incident, but later adopted a more skeptical tone.
According to CNN, Trump shared a New York Post editorial on Dec. 31, titled "Putin 'attack' bluster shows Russia is the one standing in the way of peace," questioning the credibility of Russia's claim.
The allegation surfaced as Ukraine and the United States were coordinating an updated peace framework, a timing that Kyiv called deliberate.
On the same day the claim emerged, President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Russia's accusation, calling it "another lie" and warning that Russia was "looking for a pretext" for new attacks on Ukraine.
Following the CIA's rejection of Russia's claims, Russia's military intelligence (GRU) handed over what it claimed was decrypted routing data and the controller of a Ukrainian drone that was shot down en route to Putin's residence.
"In some of these drones, the navigation systems were well preserved and fully operational," GRU chief Igor Kostyukov told a representative of the military attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, in a video released by the GRU.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify claims made by Russian officials.
Following the alleged incident, Russian forces have continued to carry out attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Overnight on Jan. 1, Russia launched an overnight drone attack that continued into the morning, killing at least two civilians and injuring 16 others.
Russia also carried out mass drone attacks on Odesa and Volyn oblasts — the latter bordering Poland and Belarus — damaging energy and critical infrastructure and leaving "a significant number of consumers without power" on New Year's night, according to the Energy Ministry.
