George Anjay
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat and Vice-President of the European Commission, has unequivocally dismissed Russia’s assertions that Ukraine launched an attack on Russian government sites. Kallas characterized the Kremlin’s claims as a "deliberate distraction" and a calculated attempt to undermine the ongoing peace process, directly referencing Moscow’s allegation of a Ukrainian drone strike targeting one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences.
"No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilians," Kallas stated on social media, emphasizing the EU’s stance against what she described as a baseless narrative from the aggressor nation.
The controversy stems from Russia’s accusation, first shared by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, that Ukraine attempted to strike Putin’s private home located on Lake Valdai in northwestern Russia. The Kremlin swiftly announced that this alleged incident would necessitate a review of Russia’s position in the ongoing peace negotiations, signaling a potential escalation in rhetoric and diplomatic positioning.
Since the initial claims were made, Russian state media and political figures have amplified the narrative with increasingly inflammatory language. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian parliament’s defense committee, declared, "The attack is a strike on the heart of Russia. After what [Ukraine] has done, there can be no forgiveness." This sentiment underscores the aggressive tone adopted by Russian officials in response to the alleged incident.
Initially, the Kremlin suggested there was no need to present evidence of the alleged attack. However, on Wednesday, the Russian army released footage and images it claimed constituted proof of the attempted strike. This presented evidence included a map purportedly showing the drones were launched from the Sumy and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine, along with a video depicting a downed drone in a snowy woodland. A serviceman in the video identified the wreckage as a Ukrainian Chaklun drone.
However, the BBC’s independent verification of this evidence has been inconclusive. While the visual profile of the wrecked unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) bears similarities to Ukrainian-produced Chaklun drones, the components are reportedly inexpensive and widely available online, making a definitive attribution to the Ukrainian military impossible. Furthermore, investigative media outlets have cast doubt on the official Russian account. One Russian investigative media outlet reported speaking with over a dozen residents in the vicinity of Putin’s residence, none of whom reported hearing any sounds indicative of 91 drones approaching or being intercepted by air defenses. "If something like that had happened, the whole city would have been talking about it," one resident told the outlet, highlighting a significant discrepancy in local accounts.
Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, dismissed Russia’s presented evidence as "laughable," adding, "They are not serious even about fabricating the story." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also vehemently denied the allegations, linking them directly to the ongoing US-led process aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine.
President Putin himself has not publicly addressed the alleged drone strike. However, in his New Year’s Eve address to Russian troops in Ukraine, he expressed confidence, stating, "we believe in you and our victory."
The diplomatic landscape surrounding the conflict has seen significant activity. On Wednesday, advisors to U.S. President Donald Trump held discussions with President Zelensky and national security advisors from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany regarding strategies to end the war in Ukraine. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff stated that the talks focused on "strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not restart."
President Zelensky has previously expressed cautious optimism about the peace process, suggesting that a peace agreement was "90% ready, 10% remains." He emphasized that these remaining 10% "will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe." French President Emmanuel Macron announced that European states and allies convening in Paris on January 6th "will make concrete commitments to protect Ukraine and ensure a just and lasting peace on our European continent."
In recent weeks, American and Ukrainian delegations have been working closely, with Zelensky indicating that his country’s demands were being considered. He posited that the claims regarding the drone attack on Putin’s Valdai residence were intended to disrupt the "positive momentum" generated by recent successful talks and a productive meeting between the U.S. and Ukrainian teams, culminating in a meeting with President Trump. Russia, in Zelensky’s view, sought to interfere with this progress.
Following the emergence of the Russian claims, Zelensky also issued a warning that the alleged drone strike could be used as a pretext for further strikes on Kyiv and Ukrainian government buildings. While air alerts were briefly activated in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday night due to an approaching drone, no hits or damage were reported.
Instead, several locations across Ukraine were targeted by drones, with Odesa on the Black Sea experiencing a large-scale attack that damaged an apartment block and injured six people, including three children. The attack also resulted in over 170,000 residents losing power amid freezing temperatures. Odesa has been subjected to sustained attacks in recent weeks, with the intensity of strikes seemingly increasing since early December, following Putin’s threat to cut off Ukraine’s access to the sea in retaliation for drone attacks on tankers of Russia’s "shadow fleet" in the Black Sea.
As the year draws to a close, many in Kyiv expressed a singular wish for 2026: an end to the war. "We hope that all of this will end. We want this to be over and to live as we did before," shared 26-year-old Mariya, standing outside the St. Sophia monastery in Kyiv. She continued, "We have a very beautiful country with enormous potential. Our strength is in our people, and that is why we keep going."
Nearby, teenage carollers sang Christmas songs, collecting donations for the armed forces, their collective wish for the coming year being "victory." Zelensky has articulated a desire for peace negotiations to resume and accelerate in early January, with the involvement of both American and European officials. However, any lasting peace deal would require Russian consent, which appears increasingly distant, particularly in light of the alleged drone incident over Putin’s residence.
The question of whether the next year will bring peace remains uncertain. "We truly hope so, but we can’t say for certain. We are doing everything we can," Mariya stated. A woman named Ksenia, standing beside her, offered a more somber perspective, shrugging and looking skyward, "Really, only God knows."
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