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The Kremlin said Tuesday its position would toughen in talks on ending the war in Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of attacking a Russian presidential residence — an allegation that Kyiv said was baseless and intended to prolong the conflict.
Kyiv has said Russia’s accusations are “lies” aimed at justifying more attacks on Ukraine, and its foreign minister said Tuesday that Russia had not provided any evidence “because there’s none.”
Russia said Monday Kyiv had attacked a presidential residence in the Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones. It said it would retaliate and review its negotiating stance, but would not quit talks on a possible peace deal.
“This terrorist action is aimed at collapsing the negotiation process,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. “The diplomatic consequence will be to toughen the negotiating position of the Russian Federation.”
He said the military knew when and how to respond.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that the diplomatic consequence of the alleged attack on a Russian presidential residence will be to ‘toughen the negotiating position of the Russian Federation.’ (Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/Reuters)
A tougher negotiating stance would complicate efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the deadliest war in Europe since the Second World War.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, controls just under a fifth of its neighbour’s territory and says its troops are advancing.
Ukraine says no attack happened
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Tuesday that Russia had not provided any plausible evidence of its accusations.
“And they won’t. Because there’s none. No such attack happened,” Sybiha said on X.
He said Kyiv was disappointed by statements by the United Arab Emirates, India and Pakistan, expressing concern over what he said was an attack that never happened.
“Russia has a long record of false claims — it’s their signature tactic,” Sybiha said.
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Asked by reporters whether Russia had physical evidence of the drone attack, Peskov said air defences shot the drones down but that the question of wreckage was for the Defence Ministry.
No evidence has been provided by Russia besides a Defence Ministry statement which said 91 drones had been shot down while heading for the residency, which is about 360 kilometres north of Moscow.
The Defence Ministry said 49 were shot down over Bryansk region, which is 450 kilometres from Valdai; one over Smolensk region; and 41 over the heavily forested Novgorod region.
The Defence Ministry had not mentioned any attack on the residence in its earlier reports of military action. The governor of Novgorod, Alexander Dronov, had said air defence and fighter jets were shooting down Ukrainian drones.
Peskov said many Western media outlets were playing along with Kyiv’s denial.
“We see that [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy himself is trying to deny this, and many Western media outlets, playing along with the Kyiv regime, are starting to spread the theme that this did not happen,” Peskov said. “This is a completely insane assertion.”
Peskov declined to say where Russian President Vladimir Putin was at the time of the attack, saying that in light of recent events, such details should not be in the public domain.
Russia attacks Ukraine’s Black Sea ports
Also on Tuesday, Russia attacked infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, damaging a civilian ship and facilities in the Black Sea ports of Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.
Kuleba said a civilian, Panama-flagged ship loaded with grains was damaged, and that oil storage tanks were also hit. One person was wounded, he said via the Telegram app.
“This is yet another targeted attack by Russia on civilian port infrastructure. The enemy is trying to disrupt logistics and complicate shipping,” Kuleba said.
Despite the attacks, both ports continued to operate, he said.
Odesa and the wider nearby region are home to Black Sea ports that are crucial for Ukraine’s foreign trade and the survival of its wartime economy.
People walk along the water in the Black Sea port of Odesa, Ukraine, on Nov. 26. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister says a Russian attack on Tuesday damaged a civilian ship and facilities in the Black Sea ports of Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk. (Nina Liashonok/Reuters)
Meanwhile, Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system has entered active service in Belarus, Russia’s Defence Ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry released a video showing combat vehicles that are part of the mobile intermediate range ballistic missile system driving across a forest as part of combat training.
The ministry’s announcement followed a statement from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who said earlier this month that the Oreshnik had arrived in the country. Lukashenko said that up to 10 such missile systems will be stationed in Belarus.