LONDON — A prime Russian official on Monday issued private threats towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia claimed that Ukraine launched a drone assault on one among Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official residences.
Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov alleged that Ukraine launched a drone assault on Putin’s state residence in Novgorod area on the night time of Dec. 29. Lavrov supplied no proof to assist the assertion, which Zelenskyy was fast to dismiss as a Russian disinformation effort.
Dmitry Medvedev — the previous Russian president and prime minister now serving on the nation’s Safety Council — posted to X accusing Zelenskyy of “making an attempt to derail the settlement of the battle,” referring to the continued U.S.-sponsored peace talks.
“He desires conflict. Nicely, now a minimum of he’ll have to remain in hiding for the remainder of his nugatory life,” Medvedev wrote.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint information convention in Palm Seaside, Florida, on Dec. 28, 2025.
Alex Brandon/AP
In separate posts to Telegram, Medvedev — who, throughout Moscow’s full-scale conflict on Ukraine, has turn into often called a very hawkish voice inside Putin’s safety institution — even appeared to recommend that Zelenskyy needs to be “exhibited” in St. Petersburg after his “imminent demise.”
Kiril Dmitriev, the Kremlin aide who additionally serves because the CEO of the Russian Direct Funding Fund and has been intently concerned in negotiations with U.S. representatives, additionally questioned the Ukrainian president’s future.
“Who’s after Zelenskyy?” Dmitriev stated in a submit to X.
The Kremlin stated U.S. President Donald Trump was knowledgeable of the alleged assault throughout a Monday telephone name with Putin. Russian officers additionally threatened retaliatory strikes in Ukraine.
Yuri Ushakov, a prime aide to Putin, informed the state-run Tass information company that Putin and Trump mentioned the difficulty by telephone on Monday, with the U.S. chief expressing his shock and anger.
Zelenskyy rejected the Russian studies of the supposed Ukrainian drone assault as “yet one more lie.”
“Now, with their assertion that some residence of theirs was attacked, they’re merely making ready — I’m certain — making ready the bottom, in precept, to launch strikes, in all probability on the capital and, in all probability, on state buildings,” Zelenskyy stated.
It’s unclear what the most recent developments may imply for the continued peace talks.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed reporters on Tuesday that the alleged Ukrainian assault would immediate a “hardening of the Russian Federation’s negotiating place,” as quoted by the state-run Tass information company.
“Russia isn’t withdrawing from the negotiation course of,” Peskov added, describing the alleged assault as an effort aimed “at disrupting President Trump’s efforts to advertise a peaceable decision of the Ukrainian battle.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press convention in Moscow, December 19, 2025.
Alexander Nemenov/Pool through Reuters
After talks with Zelenskyy — which had been preceded and adopted by telephone calls between Trump and Putin — at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Sunday, Trump informed reporters that the negotiating groups are “getting lots nearer, possibly very shut” to attaining a peace deal to finish Russia’s full-scale invasion, which Moscow launched in February 2022.
Lavrov stated that Russia doesn’t intend to withdraw from the negotiation course of following the alleged assault. However the international minister stated that the “targets and timing of Russia’s retaliatory strike” had “been decided.”
Ukraine’s air power stated on Tuesday that Russia launched two missiles and 60 drones into the nation in a single day into Tuesday morning, of which one missile and 52 drones had been shot down or suppressed. One missile and eight drones impacted throughout 5 areas, the air power stated.
Russia’s Protection Ministry stated that 4 Ukrainian drones had been shot down on Tuesday morning over the southern Krasnodar area.
The operational headquarters of the Krasnodar area reported on Telegram that two folks sustained shrapnel accidents brought on by drones. Drone wreckage fell on a railway station within the area, the headquarters stated.
Rosaviatsiya — Russia’s federal air transport company — reported short-term flight restrictions at Krasnodar airport.
ABC Information’ Natalya Kushnir, Nataliia Popova and Somayeh Malekian contributed to this report.
