LONDON — A senior Russian official on Monday issued personal threats against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia claimed Ukraine launched a drone attack on one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official residences.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alleged that Ukraine launched a drone attack on Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod region on the night of December 29. Lavrov offered no evidence to support the claim, which Zelenskyy was quick to dismiss as a Russian disinformation effort.
Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and prime minister who now serves on the country’s Security Council, envoy to
“He wants war. Well, now at least he will have to stay hidden for the rest of his useless life,” Medvedev wrote.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 28, 2025.
Alex Brandon/AP
In separate posts on Telegram, Medvedev (who, during Moscow’s full-scale war against Ukraine, became known as a particularly tough voice within Putin’s security establishment) even appeared to suggest that Zelenskyy should be “exhibited” in St. Petersburg after his “imminent demise.”
Kiril Dmitriev, the Kremlin aide who also serves as chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and has been closely involved in negotiations with American representatives, also questioned the Ukrainian president’s future.
“Who is behind Zelenskyy?” Dmitriev said in a post to X.
The Kremlin said US President Donald Trump was informed of the alleged attack during a Monday phone call with Putin. Russian officials also threatened retaliatory attacks in Ukraine.
Yuri Ushakov, a senior Putin adviser, told the state Tass news agency that Putin and Trump discussed the issue by phone on Monday, and the American leader expressed surprise and anger.
Zelenskyy dismissed Russian reports of the alleged Ukrainian drone attack as “yet another lie.”
“Now, with their statement that some residence of theirs was attacked, they are simply preparing, I am sure, preparing the ground, in principle, to launch attacks, probably against the capital and, probably, against state buildings,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post to And they won’t. Because there aren’t any. “No such attack occurred.”
It is unclear what the latest developments could mean for the ongoing peace talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that the alleged Ukrainian attack would lead to a “hardening of the Russian Federation’s negotiating position,” state news agency Tass quoted him as saying.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual New Year’s Eve press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2025.
Alexander Nemenov/Pool via Reuters
“Russia is not withdrawing from the negotiation process,” Peskov added, describing the alleged attack as an effort aimed “at disrupting President Trump’s efforts to promote a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict.”
After talks with Zelenskyy, which were preceded and followed by phone calls between Trump and Putin, at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Sunday, Trump told reporters that negotiating teams are getting “very close, maybe very close” to reaching a peace deal to end the full-scale invasion of Russia, which Moscow launched in February 2022.
Lavrov said Russia has no intention of withdrawing from the negotiating process following the alleged attack. But the foreign minister said that “the objectives and timing of Russia’s retaliatory strike” had “been determined.”
Ukraine’s air force said Tuesday that Russia launched two missiles and 60 drones into the country overnight Tuesday morning, of which one missile and 52 drones were shot down or suppressed. One missile and eight drones hit five locations, the air force said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said four Ukrainian drones were shot down Tuesday morning over the southern Krasnodar region.
The Krasnodar region’s operations headquarters reported on Telegram that two people were injured by shrapnel caused by drones. The remains of the drone fell on a train station in the region, the headquarters reported.
Rosaviatsiya, Russia’s federal air transport agency, reported temporary flight restrictions at Krasnodar airport.
ABC News’ Natalya Kushnir, Nataliia Popova and Somayeh Malekian contributed to this report.
