CIA assesses Ukraine was not targeting a Putin residence in drone attack, contrary to Kremlin claim, sources say
The CIA has assessed Ukraine was not targeting a residence used by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent drone attack in the north of his country, according to US officials, undercutting an assertion the Russian leader had made to President Donald Trump in a Monday phone call.
The CIA’s director John Ratcliffe briefed Trump on the assessment Wednesday, the officials said.
Sources said Ratcliffe later briefed Trump that the CIA did not believe it was true. And on Wednesday, Trump appeared to have adopted a more skeptical posture toward posting, posting a link to a New York Post editorial on Truth Social with the headline, “Putin ‘attack’ bluster shows Russia is the one standing in the way of peace.” The Post’s editorial board noted it was “rich that Putin, who has waged a brutal war for nearly four years, believes that any violence in his vicinity merits special outrage” and asserted that “Any attack on Putin is more than justified.”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/31/politics/cia-ukraine-drone-putin-residenceOpen linkView original on lemmy.world
54 replies
So what if they targeted him? He's a war criminal, a legitimate target.
It matters if future security guarantees are conditional on Ukraine not attacking Russia. If Russia can claim they were attacked without any fact checking now, they might do the same in the future when it matters more. Showing Russia that their claims are not automatically believed is positioning for the future.
Fair
In countries where the military is aggressively attacking non-combatants in other countries, their war criminal leaders are the most legitimate targets imaginable.
Life isn't exactly like chess, in that in life, it's not always enough to eliminate the king. But, if you keep eliminating king after king until somebody reasonable assumes control, it seems like the least bloody way to end conflict.
I don't know of any historical precedent where assassinating the leader of a nation-state, and their successors, has actually happened and accomplished anything, unless it was backed by much wider use of force, such as an invasion.
Stepping on the tail only angers the snake. In order to defeat it, one must strike at the head.
Fucksake, yes. If there were a fund I could donate to specifically for financing drones to target every place that SOB lies his head, I'd be writing checks to it today.
Soldiers are killed on the battlefield. Kings are ransomed.
Should be the other way around. It's the kings who want war. Not the soldiers.
Oh, absolutely. But that world doesn't exist.
War criminals are legitimate targets? Well then...
Regardless, you can count on Trump to repeat whatever Putin tells him to say.
I wouldn't care if Ukraine deployed the fucking Hammer of Dawn onto all of Putin's properties and every Russian government building.
Russia is the aggressor and Putin is a fascist tyrant. The Russian state must be liquidated and Putin should be either executed or sentenced to life by the Hague.
This exactly. Boot up Goldeneye and get them the fuck out.
Well, if you support Ukraine going after fascist tyrants that are working against it, where might that end?
But what if it was?
Russia would quite happily kill zelenski given any chance and when peace does come, with Putin left in power, I guarantee you that he'll try to assassinate zelenski at the first possible moment
Sorry, but not sorry, Putin is a legitimate target and if killed might end this war (not to mention make the world a little better even)
Let them kill Putin, I only see upsides. This has nothing to do with him being Russian or whatever, this is him being a megalomaniac dictator who loves murdering people all the fucking time. How many people have been assassinated by now in Russia? How many outside Russia? Putin is a fucking menace to anyone, he needs to go
There have already been several failed assassination attempts against Zelenskyy.
*"It's not the same"
I think the issue was that Putin wasn't there at the time. Only his daughter (i think) was, or possibly some other close member of his family.
Apart from that, I agree that Putin is a perfectly valid target, commander in chief and all that.
I mean honestly doesn't really matter. If you're in a state of war then all military targets are accessible. The leader of the country you're fighting with is certainly a military target. Also Putin's a dumbass and really should fucking die.
Maduro was fairly kidnapped then?
Last time I checked US is not at war with any country
If you want to call taking over an entire country for their resources not war you gotta be deluded
I don't get it. It's war. Ukraine can attack anybody.
No shit. If Ukraine were going to do, they'd still be trying to dig putins corpse out of a pile of rubble
Russians are lying? Who would have guessed?
If only the POTUS would wait to hear from his intelligence officials before making public comments based on the word of an evil, lying, psychopathic dictator...
And if they were, so what?
The Russians were LYING? I don't know what to say, I really thought higher of them.
Must be the first time they have done such a thing!
Source: the CIA
lol, reassess your beliefs
Reassess your love for dictators.
Lol, the drone shown by russian media is a gerbera drone message by Russia
Drone evidence provided by Russia https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-01/russia-says-video-proves-ukraine-tried-to-strike-putin-residence/106192222
Photo of gerbera https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/September-October-2025/Lessons-from-Ukraine/
I mean, I think they really should target Putin. I'd love that actually.
It would be entirely acceptable that the country that a war criminal invaded targets said war criminal. But why would the rest of the world listen to the war criminal's lies regardless?
I guess war criminals stick together.
Eh Trump will call the CIA fags and say Putin's far more trustworthy
Or have them link it to Venezuela in some way so they can blow up more ports.
Or have them link it to Venezuela in some way so they can blow up more ports.
And who cares if they did?
Why would it matter that they did?
Be a lot cooler if they did.
5 people fired at the CIA in 10.... 9...
Well, next story will be Trump firing senior CIA officials in retaliation for undermining Trump's parroting of Putin's lies.
My assumption is that since magically every single drone without fail was shot down and they masterfully saved the mansion from this devastating attack is that... Russia sent the drones themselves at the mansion so they could shoot them down and blame Ukraine for attacking "civilian" targets, because Russia would never attack civvies.
I wish they would
Too bad.
obviously
it makes no strategic sense to attack one of his many fun-houses
At this point I’m surprised when Putin is telling the truth. He lies so much it’s just easier to assume he’s lying and wait to see if there’s actually any evidence for what he’s saying.
I predicted that this story about an attack on his residence was a lie. Putin does not want peace. Every time they get closer to an agreement he pulls back. He knows that the peace will lead to him getting Gaddafi’d.
Ya'll should consider changing lemmy.world to lemmy.world-cia
Only after you change lemmy.ml to lemmy.megalosers
chuuuu
Well, if the CIA says it...
Well, if Putin says it...
Fucking obviously Ukraine didn't waste ordinance on one of his fake houses. He lives underground where he belongs.
It's a Russian friendly source, so may be believable.