CIA assesses Ukraine was not targeting Putin’s residence in drone attack
CIA Assessment Challenges Russian Claims
The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has concluded that Ukraine did not target Russian President Vladimir Putin or one of his residences in the alleged drone attack that Moscow reported at the end of December 2025. According to US national security officials, including assessments cited by The Wall Street Journal, the available intelligence indicates that Ukrainian forces were aiming at a military facility in the same broader region of Russia’s Novgorod Oblast, but not at Putin’s property itself. The CIA briefed US President Donald Trump on this evaluation, undercutting claims made by Russian officials that Kyiv deliberately sought to strike the Russian leader’s home. Ukraine has firmly denied the Kremlin’s allegation, calling it a baseless attempt to distract from ongoing peace negotiations and undermine support for Kyiv. Meanwhile, Russia has yet to provide credible evidence publicly to substantiate its assertions about the drone attack on one of Putin’s residences.
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