Reports of a Ukrainian attack on a presidential residence in the Novgorod region are sparking a new round of tension and harsh rhetoric, with warnings that the incident will have immediate consequences for any prospects for peace talks.
The Kremlin spokesman, , said on Tuesday that such an action “aims at the collapse of the negotiation process” and underlined that the diplomatic consequence would be “”. As he said, the Russian armed forces know “how and when” they will respond.
Peskov also accused Ukraine of denying the incident, noting that “many Western media are playing Kiev’s game”, adopting, as he said, the version that the attack did not happen. “This is a completely absurd claim,” he stressed.
Asked if there was evidence of the attack, the Kremlin spokesman said the drones were shot down by Russian air defenses, adding that the matter of the debris falls within the competence of the Defense Ministry. He also declined to reveal Vladimir Putin’s whereabouts at the time of the alleged attack, citing security reasons.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky categorically rejected the Russian accusations, characterizing them as “another round of lies”, aimed – as he said – at justifying new attacks against Ukraine and prolonging the war.
At the same time, the tension was further escalated by the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, who attacked Zelensky in extreme terms through his post on X.
“Bastard of Kiev”
Medvedev called him a “Kiev bastard”, arguing that he is trying to undermine any attempt to resolve the conflict and that he “should stay in hiding for the rest of his useless life”.
The stinking Kiev bastard is trying to derail the settlement of the conflict. He wants war. Well, now at least he’ll have to stay in hiding for the rest of his worthless life.
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE)
The developments come at a critical juncture for international diplomacy, as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was due to discuss the situation in Ukraine with other European leaders in a teleconference scheduled for Tuesday, according to Polish broadcaster TVN24.
The incident and statements from both sides add to the uncertainty surrounding the resumption of meaningful talks, with Moscow warning of a hardening of its stance and Kiev citing Russian propaganda aimed at perpetuating the conflict.
