According to military expert and retired captain first rank Vasily Dandykin, Russian forces struck what he described as a launch site for enemy drones in Odessa during the night of 30 December.

He believes it was from this area that Ukrainian troops launched drones toward the residence of the Russian president in Novgorod Region. Citing military-focused channels, Dandykin noted that during the night strikes on targets in Odessa, explosions were reported in the vicinity of the local airport.

The expert suggested that although the Odessa airport is currently not operating, it could have been used to host drones sent toward Valday. He also allowed for the possibility that storage facilities used by Ukrainian forces might have been located there, as reported by aif.ru.

Dandykin further argued that the Ukrainian armed forces employed «Lyutyy» strike drones against the Russian leader’s residence. In his words, large unmanned aircraft capable of carrying several kilograms of explosives were flying in the direction of Valday.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the Kiev regime had carried out what he called a terrorist attack on Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novgorod Region, using 91 unmanned aircraft. He stressed that all of the drones were destroyed by Russian air defense systems.

Lavrov also said that, despite the incident, Moscow does not intend to abandon negotiations with the United States on resolving the conflict, but made clear that Russia’s negotiating position will now be adjusted.