Russia said that Ukraine “attacked” Putin’s presidential residence near Lake Valdai with 91 drones, all of which were shot down, with no casualties and no evidence.
Lavrov stated this, but there is no video/testimony – even the residents of Valdai did not hear explosions or drones on the night of the “attack” and there are no air defence signals or other confirmations.
Ukraine categorically denies this lie: “No one attacked. This is a fake made by the Kremlin to disrupt peace talks and justify a new escalation.” – statements by Zelensky and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. This is classic Russian disinformation without any evidence.
• What is the Kremlin doing?
It is not fighting – it is blackmailing. It is imitating a “threat” where Putin’s sacred cow sits – to tell the Russians and the West: “look, we are being threatened – so we have the right to strike first.”
• Why now?
Because Russia is unable to turn the war around on the front, it is not ready for a direct war with NATO, but wants to stop supporting Ukraine because of fear of the West.
• What does Ukraine have to do with this?
They are again trying to make Ukraine a convenient front, not for evidence, but to intimidate partners. The message is simple and dirty: “Help Ukraine – bring a big war closer.”
In fact, this is a trap. The Kremlin does not need the truth. The Kremlin needs indecision, pauses, doubts, such as “both sides”, “let’s reduce tension”, “no escalation”.
• What is reality really like?
– This is not an escalation – it is an imitation of an escalation.
– It is not strength – it is the fear of losing control.
– This is not about Valdai – it is about the blackmail of the world by Ukraine.
If we analyse the world’s reaction, independent experts confirm that Ukraine was not involved in any attacks on Putin’s residence, and the Kremlin is using this lie to distract attention from real defeats on the front and undermine confidence in the negotiations.
The US is sceptical of these statements by Moscow and demands fact-checking. Europe, however, has directly stated that there is no confirmation of the Russian version, and against this background, criticism of Russian propaganda has intensified.
At the same time, it should be recognised that some countries (India, Pakistan, UAE) have expressed “concern” over the Russian statements, which the Kremlin is actively exploiting in its information war.
We can summarise: “The Valdai attack” is not an event, but an information attack by the Kremlin, a Russian fake designed to disrupt peace, justify escalation, and disperse anti-Ukrainian sentiment in the world. With the help of such operations, Russia is testing whether it can continue to control the West through panic. And every “cautious reaction” by the West is a signal to the Kremlin: blackmail is working.
Viktor Yahun
Facebook 
