Escalating rhetoric from Moscow following an alleged drone incident near one of President Vladimir Putin's residences has intensified fears of further military escalation in Ukraine, as senior Kremlin allies publicly threatened expanded violence while Western officials dismissed the episode as disinformation.
The controversy centers on Russian claims that Ukrainian forces carried out a drone strike on a state residence used by Putin in the Novgorod region in late December. Russian officials said air defenses intercepted the attack and released images of debris, though local residents reported hearing no explosions and Western intelligence agencies questioned whether the incident occurred at all.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov framed the alleged strike as an effort to sabotage diplomacy, while the Kremlin raised the matter during a phone call between Putin and President Donald Trump. According to U.S. officials, Trump later expressed skepticism, and the CIA rejected Russian assertions outright, with Director John Ratcliffe telling the White House the event was likely fabricated, CNN reported.
The episode ignited an unusually explicit outburst on Russian state television. Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent broadcaster sanctioned by the European Union and the United Kingdom, accused the CIA of directing the attack and dismissed U.S. denials. On his program Solovyov Live, he urged Moscow to intensify its war effort, declaring, "It is necessary to physically kill more people than the Ukrainians and their Western masters can supply to the front lines."
That rhetoric was echoed by Dmitry Medvedev, the former president and current deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council. In posts on X and Telegram, Medvedev accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of blocking peace and warned, "He wants war. Well, now at least he'll have to stay in hiding for the rest of his worthless life." The Hill reported that Medvedev went further, alluding to Zelenskyy's "imminent demise."
Medvedev accompanied his remarks with video footage of a strike involving Russia's Oreshnik missile system in western Ukraine, which Russian officials portrayed as a warning of further retaliation. Lavrov said potential targets had already been identified, while Ukrainian officials warned that such statements could precede renewed attacks on leadership or infrastructure sites.
Kyiv flatly denied any role in the alleged drone incident. Zelenskyy dismissed the accusation as "typical Russian lies," and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry described Moscow's evidence as "laughable," according to Euronews. European leaders urged restraint, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling on Russia to demonstrate seriousness about peace efforts, Reuters reported.
U.S. officials also rejected claims of American involvement. Trump said intelligence officials found "something happened nearby" but ruled out Ukrainian or CIA responsibility, PBS reported. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said the episode fits a broader Russian pattern of information operations designed to justify intensified strikes and pressure Western governments.
Meanwhile, fighting continues along multiple fronts. Russia has pursued limited advances in eastern Ukraine while absorbing heavy casualties, according to the Critical Threats Project. Ukraine has struck energy-related assets and expanded air-defense deployments, while Russia has introduced a new variant of the Geran-5 drone and launched overnight attacks on Kyiv that caused fires, Al Jazeera reported.
