Russia said on Thursday it had extracted and decoded a file from a Ukrainian drone downed earlier this week that it said shows it had been targeting a Russian presidential residence. A senior Russian military chief handed what he said was part of the drone containing the data to a US military attache.
Moscow accused Kyiv on Monday of trying to strike a residence of President Vladimir Putin in Russia's northern Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones. It said Russia would review its negotiating position in ongoing talks with the US on ending the Ukraine war.
Ukraine and Western countries have disputed Russia's account of the alleged attempted strike.
A video posted on the Russian Defence Ministry's Telegram channel showed Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces, handing to the U.S. attache what he described as the controlling mechanism of a drone found among downed fragments.
"The decryption of the content of the memory of the navigation controller of the drones carried out by specialists of Russia's special services confirms without question that the target of the attack was the complex of buildings of the Russian president's residence in Novgorod region," Kostyukov said.
"We presume that this measure will do away with any questions and allow for the truth to be established."
The Ministry had earlier posted a statement on Telegram saying its findings would be turned over to the United States.
US response
US President Donald Trump initially expressed sympathy for the Russian charge, telling reporters on Monday that Putin had informed him of the alleged incident and that he was "very angry" about it.
Trump responded to a question over whether or not the US had evidence about the attack by saying, "You are saying, maybe the attack didn't take place, that is possible too, I guess, but President Putin told me this morning it did."
By Wednesday, Trump appeared more skeptical, sharing on social media a New York Post editorial accusing Russia of blocking peace in Ukraine.
Ukraine has denied carrying out such an attack and described the accusation as part of a Russian disinformation campaign meant to drive a wedge between Kyiv and Washington after a weekend meeting between Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that US national security officials said that Ukraine did not target Putin or his home. A Central Intelligence Agency assessment concurred that no such attack took place.
According to the report, Ukraine sought to strike a military target in the same region as one of Putin's residences.
Trump's post online followed his briefing by CIA director John Ratcliffe, a person familiar with the exchange told the Journal.
Other international leaders also expressed concern over the alleged attack, with India's Prime Minister Modi saying he was "deeply concerned," Pakistan's Prime Minister Sharif calling it a "heinous act," and the United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry expressing concern, the Journal wrote.
Ukraine said there was another broad attack on its power supplies.
"On New Year, Russia deliberately brings war. Over 200 attack drones were launched onto Ukraine in the night," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram, saying energy infrastructure in seven regions across Ukraine had been targeted.
Zelensky said that Russia's holiday season attacks showed Ukraine could not afford delays in air defense supplies.
"(Our) allies have the names of equipment which we are lacking. We expect that everything agreed with the United States at the end of December for our defense will arrive on time," he said, without clarifying further.