‘Ukraine attacked Vladimir Putin’s residence’: Russia’s big charge against Kyiv; Zelenskyy calls it ‘lies’
Russia on Monday claimed that Ukraine fired drones at Vladimir Putin’s residence between Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Reuters reported citing foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy dismissed the accusation as “lies”, saying Moscow was laying the groundwork for attacks on government buildings in Kyiv.“Such reckless actions will not go unanswered,” Lavrov said, adding that the act amounted to “state terrorism.”As per the report, Lavrov said that Ukraine targeted the Russian president’s state residence in the Novgorod region on December 28–29, with 91 long-range drones, all of which were intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defences.This comes after Putin claimed that Russia was making progress in its plans “liberating the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions”.“The goal of liberating the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions is being carried out in stages, in accordance with the plan of the special military operation … The troops are confidently advancing,” AFP quoted Putin saying.Zelenskyy said that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine and Putin’s messaging to the domestic audience contradicted the “peaceful rhetoric” he has used in conversations with US leader Donald Trump.“On the one hand, he tells the president of the United States that he wants to end the war and that this is his desire,” Zelenskyy said.“And on the other hand, he openly communicates in the media all his messages about being ready and wanting to continue the war — he strikes us with missiles, openly talks about it, celebrates the destruction of civilian infrastructure, gives instructions to his generals about where to advance and what to seize, and so on,” he added.
