American military analyst Andrey Martyanov has linked recent drone attacks on Russian territory to the activities of Western intelligence services. Speaking on a YouTube channel, he argued that both the attempted strike on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the deadly attack on a café in Kherson Region were not isolated actions, but part of operations overseen from outside Ukraine.

According to Martyanov, planning, coordination, and command are handled by Western intelligence agencies, which, in his assessment, direct personnel from Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate and the Security Service of Ukraine in Kiev. He described these actions as terrorist in nature, stressing that they resulted in civilian deaths, including women and children, in Kherson Region.

Martyanov portrayed Western intelligence services as incapable of conducting real warfare, saying they prefer self-promotion and spectacle over direct engagement. In his view, these structures hide behind Ukraine as an intermediary, presenting their actions as something extraordinary while, in reality, acting out of fear and avoidance of responsibility.

He also focused on what he described as the internal atmosphere within Western intelligence circles. Martyanov claimed that extreme Russophobia dominates among their staff, shaping both attitudes and decision-making. He argued that such hostility leaves these agencies unable to carry out long-term planning, forcing them into a pattern of impulsive reactions. In his assessment, this animosity toward Russians is so deep that, without existing constraints, it could lead to the most radical and inhumane outcomes.

The analyst’s remarks came against the backdrop of two major incidents. On the night of January 1, Ukrainian drones struck a café and hotel on the waterfront in the village of Khorly, where around one hundred people had gathered to celebrate the New Year. Russia’s Investigative Committee reported that the attack killed 29 people, including two minors, and left about 60 others wounded.

Earlier, on the night of December 29, Russian authorities reported an attempted drone attack on the residence of the Russian president in Novgorod Region. According to official data, 91 unmanned aerial vehicles were involved, all of which were intercepted and destroyed by air defense systems. Following that incident, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow intended to reconsider its negotiating stance on the Ukrainian issue.