View from Washington: The attack on Putin's residence raises major questions about proposed US security guarantees for Kyiv

A Russian service member stands next to the remains of a drone, which, according to the Russian Defence Ministry, was downed during the repelling of an alleged Ukrainian attack on the Russian presidential residence in the Novgorod Region, in an unknown location in Russia, in this still image from a video released December 31, 2025.
Photo: Russian Defence Ministry

Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novgorod, known as Dolgiye Borody, also known as Valdai and Uzhin, was attacked by waves of drones on December 29th. We know this from an official statement from Sergey Lavrov, and from President Trump who was informed by Putin himself in a telephone call. The Russian Defense Ministry subsequently also released a report after a Duma deputy provided preliminary details of the attack.

The attack raises major questions about proposed US security guarantees for Ukraine as part of some sort of deal on settling the Ukraine war, writes Stephen Bryen, a former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense.

The Ukrainians said the attack never happened and much of the western press reflected Ukraine’s position. Now hard evidence is emerging that the Russian claims have merit.

According to official Russian statements and details circulated by state-aligned channels (similar to the reporting of Duma Deputy Alexander Khinshtein), the drones were reportedly intercepted at the following locations in the Novgorod Region: the Lake Valdai area around Dolgiye Borody; Yashcherovo, the intercept point west of the residence; Roschino, a forested area near the village where debris has been found; and Valday town where debris is said to have fallen.

The main attack drone used by Ukraine was the UJ-26 Beaver (Bober). This loitering munition has a distinctive canard layout with sleek fuselage and inverted tail. The type was introduced in 2023 and has reportedly entered mass production. Range is in the order of 1,000 km (620 miles) and payload is reported as 20 kg (44 lbs). This type was previously used to attack Moscow and other targets in Russia.

A Ukrainian drone that was shot down over the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Photo: RT

The Russians also claim to have found a crashed modified Chaklun long range strike drone. This drone is manufactured in Ukraine and is powered by a DLE111 Chinese-made engine. One of these drones in January, 2025 struck a Smolensk aviation plant that was remodeling older Su-25 aircraft.

The Russians have released a map showing the flight paths of the Ukrainian UAVs and information on the attack.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense report, Russian air defenses shot down 49 drones above the Bryansk Region, one above Smolensk Region and another 41 above the Novgorod Region as they approached Putin’s residence.

Some think that with Zelensky arriving in Mar-a-Lago he would not have authorized an attack on Putin’s residence, especially since he was seeking to obtain American security guarantees for Ukraine. For example, Larry Johnson argues this was an unauthorized Ukrainian intelligence operation, possibly linked to British intelligence, to derail Zelensky leading to his ouster as President. It is fairly well known that the British, especially MI-6, Britain’s overseas secret intelligence service, is backing Valeri Zaluzhny to replace Zelensky.

In the Trump-Zelensky meeting both sides, according to Zelensky, discussed US security guarantees for Ukraine. Allegedly, Trump offered a 15 year guarantee which Zelensky says would include US troops in Ukraine. Zelensky told reporters “we are discussing this with President Trump and with representatives of the ‘coalition of the willing.’ We would like this.”

It is obvious that the attack on Putin’s residence was a provocation, whether it took place with Zelensky’s knowledge or not. It raises a profound question of why the US would agree to give any security guarantee to Ukraine, and challenges the wisdom of stationing American soldiers in Ukraine.

One consequence: an offer of a security guarantee to Ukraine is worse than putting Ukraine in NATO.

…Decrypted data from one of the Ukrainian drones that attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence have been handed over to the US mission in Moscow.

Photo: MoD