On January 1, the Russian Ministry of Defense attempted to confirm reports of an attack on the presidential headquarters in the Novgorod region and provided new information. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
According to their statement, during a technical inspection of one of the Ukrainian drones, flight path data was obtained. Based on the analysis of this route, they claim that the drone's primary target was one of the objects at the presidential headquarters.
Russia announced that it would also send this information to the USA. However, US intelligence agencies have reached a different conclusion.
According to reports from American media, US intelligence believes that the Ukrainian forces did not target the Russian president’s headquarters. In particular, it is said that CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned former President Donald Trump that Ukraine was attempting to strike a different military facility.
The White House has not issued an official comment on this matter. It is known that Donald Trump shared a link to an article denying the attack by Ukraine in his social media posts but did not explicitly confirm this information.
This post appeared after Ratcliffe’s briefing. Western media suggest that Russia’s claims might be used to strengthen its position amid ongoing negotiations.
At the same time, Russia has not fully disclosed evidence proving the true purpose of this attack. Earlier, Russia reported that on the night of December 28 to 29, 91 drones were shot down over the Novgorod region, but there were no casualties or damage.
Ukraine has denied these claims and accused Russia of spreading false statements. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described such reports as an attempt by Russia to create a pretext for another attack on government buildings in Kyiv.
Overall, this incident is not only about drones but also involves an intense information battle. While Russia says “we found the file,” the USA argues “the headquarters is not the target.”
The main question now is whether the information exchanged between Moscow and Washington will clarify this event or if the debates surrounding this topic will continue for a long time?
