Russian defense officials say they have recovered a flight mission file from the navigation system of a Ukrainian drone shot down on December 29 in the Novgorod Region, following a technical examination of the device.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the decoded data indicated that the drone’s programmed endpoint was an объект located within the grounds of President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Valdai. The ministry said the materials obtained during the analysis would be passed to the U.S. side through established channels.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that during the night of December 29 the Kiev authorities attempted to strike the Russian president’s Valdai residence using unmanned aerial vehicles. He said Ukrainian forces deployed 91 drones, all of which were intercepted and destroyed. The head of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ anti-aircraft missile troops, Aleksandr Romanenkov, reported that the residence sustained no damage and that there were no casualties.

Lavrov later commented that Moscow would respond to Kiev’s actions. At the same time, he said Russia did not intend to halt dialogue with the United States on peace-related issues, though it planned to adjust its position in future talks. Ukrainian officials, for their part, denied any involvement in the alleged attack.

On January 1, 2026, media outlets published excerpts from a CIA report on the incident. The U.S. assessment concluded that Ukrainian forces did attempt to strike a target in the Novgorod Region, but that the intended objective was not Vladimir Putin’s residence in Valdai.