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A CIA assessment concluded that Ukraine did not try to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin at his country residence as alleged by the Kremlin, finding instead that Kyiv had been aiming to hit a military target in the same region, sources told NBC News and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed U.S. President Donald Trump on the issue earlier Wednesday, after which Trump posted a link to a New York Post editorial with the headline: "Putin 'attack' bluster shows Russia is the one standing in the way of peace."
The CIA declined to comment.
U.S. national security officials said Ukraine didn't target Putin or one of his residences in the alleged drone operation, challenging Moscow's assertion that Kyiv sought to kill the Russian leader.
"The U.S. found that Ukraine had been seeking to strike a military target located in the same region as Putin's country residence but not close by," a U.S. official briefed on the intelligence told The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. intelligence has a number of ways to monitor Russia's airspace, military activities, and attacks on its territory, including satellites, radar, and communication intercepts.
Trump told reporters Monday that he was "very angry" after Putin told him in a phone conversation that Ukrainian drones had targeted his residence, known as Dolgiye Borody (Long Beards), along a lakeshore in Russia's northwest Novgorod region.
Asked if the U.S. had evidence that such an attack had taken place, Trump replied, "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."
Trump's Truth Social post on Wednesday, sharing a media report that called Russia an obstacle to peace, was one of his most pointed recent criticisms of the Kremlin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vehemently rejected Russia's allegation, accusing Moscow of trying to sabotage peace negotiations.
"Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump's team," Zelenskyy wrote on X.
"This alleged 'residence strike' story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia's own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies," he added.
Ukraine has acknowledged its role in some assassinations and sabotage attacks deep inside Russian territory, but has been adamant that it wasn't behind any attack on Putin's residence.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it had intercepted 91 Ukrainian drones aimed at Putin's Novgorod residence. A video released by Russian defense officials showed what they said was a downed Ukrainian drone equipped with explosives lying in the snow.
Citing the alleged attack, Moscow has threatened to recalibrate its already hardline negotiating position in peace talks and has launched drone attacks in the port region of Odessa.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said in a social media post that he had spoken with British, French and German national-security advisers Wednesday to discuss next steps in trying to secure peace.
Ukrainian national security official and negotiator Rustem Umerov participated in the call.
Witkoff wrote that discussions had focused on possible security guarantees and "deconfliction mechanisms" to "help end the war and ensure it does not restart."
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