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The geopolitical tension between Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington has reached a new boiling point. On Thursday, Russia’s Defence Ministry announced it had successfully extracted and "decrypted" routing data from a downed Ukrainian drone, which they claim proves a direct attempt on President Vladimir Putin’s life.
A decoded flight path
According to a statement released via Telegram, Moscow alleges that one of the 91 long-range drones launched on December 29, 2025, had a specific final destination, a presidential residence in Russia's northern Novgorod region.
"Decryption of routing data revealed that the final target of the Ukrainian drone attack on December 29, 2025, was a facility at the Russian Presidential Residence in the Novgorod region", Russia's Defence Ministry said in a post on Telegram.
"These materials will be transferred to the American side through the established channels," it added.
Russia has vowed to hand over this decoded data to the United States through official channels, framing the incident as a major escalation that will force a "review" of their negotiating position in ongoing peace talks.
Washington and Kyiv push back
The narrative from the Kremlin is facing heavy resistance from Western intelligence and Ukrainian officials. Kyiv has dismissed the claims as a "disinformation campaign" designed to sabotage the relationship between President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Trump administration following their recent high-level meeting.
The Wall Street Journal reported that US national security officials found no evidence that Ukraine targeted Putin or his private residences. Initially, US President Donald Trump expressed anger over the alleged strike after a conversation with Putin. However, by Wednesday, the President’s tone shifted toward scepticism, as he shared an editorial accusing Russia of being the primary obstacle to peace in the region.
What's at stake?
With 91 drones involved in the Monday strike, Russia is using this "data discovery" to potentially harden its stance at the bargaining table. Whether the "Novgorod Files" are seen as genuine evidence or a tactical fabrication will likely determine the next phase of the US-led efforts to end the conflict.
