Russian President Vladimir Putin lied when he claimed earlier this week that Ukraine tried to kill him in a massive drone attack targeting one of his residences, according to US intelligence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Putin’s claim as a “complete fabrication” on Monday and national security officials told Wall Street Journal that there is no evidence to support the Russian tyrant’s wild allegation.
A US official said Ukraine was attempting to strike a military target, hit on a previous occasion, in the same region as Putin’s country home but not near the residence.
A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assessment backed the conclusion of national security officials, according to the outlet, finding Kyiv did not attempt to attack Putin’s home in Russia’s northwest Novgorod region.
The CIA did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
A source familiar with the situation confirmed that CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed President Trump about the alleged attack on Wednesday.
That afternoon, Trump posted a link to The Post’s editorial arguing that Putin was likely lying about the alleged assault in an effort to derail peace negotiations.
Russian forces shot down all 91 drones in the swarm, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said there were no reports of damage or casualties.
Trump revealed to reporters on Monday that Putin had “told me about” the purported assault during a phone call, which followed a Mar-a-Lago meeting with Zelensky, and he rebuked Ukraine over the alleged attack.
“This is not the right time,” Trump said of the alleged drone incursion. “It’s one thing to be offensive, it’s another thing to attack his house. I was very angry about it.”
The president noted at the time that it was “ possible” Putin was lying about the drones targeting his home.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
