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.”
54 Comments
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 85 pts · 235d
So what if they targeted him? He's a war criminal, a legitimate target.
pmk@piefed.ca · 48 pts · 235d
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.
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 17 pts · 235d
Fair
logicbomb@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 235d
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.
dublet@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 235d
Stepping on the tail only angers the snake. In order to defeat it, one must strike at the head.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 234d
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.
Bwaz@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 235d
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.
atzanteol@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 235d
Soldiers are killed on the battlefield. Kings are ransomed.
rammer@sopuli.xyz · 10 pts · 235d
Should be the other way around. It's the kings who want war. Not the soldiers.
atzanteol@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 235d
Oh, absolutely. But that world doesn't exist.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 234d
War criminals are legitimate targets? Well then...
homes@piefed.world · 43 pts · 235d
Regardless, you can count on Trump to repeat whatever Putin tells him to say.
HazardousBanjo@lemmy.world · 34 pts · 235d
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.
TwinTitans@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 235d
This exactly. Boot up Goldeneye and get them the fuck out.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · -5 pts · 234d
Well, if you support Ukraine going after fascist tyrants that are working against it, where might that end?
phoenixz@lemmy.ca · 29 pts · 235d
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
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 234d
There have already been several failed assassination attempts against Zelenskyy.
Railcar8095@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 234d
*"It's not the same"
AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 235d
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.
titanicx@lemmy.zip · 19 pts · 235d
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.
ryannathans@aussie.zone · -6 pts · 234d
Maduro was fairly kidnapped then?
TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 234d
Last time I checked US is not at war with any country
ryannathans@aussie.zone · -1 pts · 234d
If you want to call taking over an entire country for their resources not war you gotta be deluded
toppy@lemy.lol · 18 pts · 235d
I don't get it. It's war. Ukraine can attack anybody.
DrFistington@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 235d
No shit. If Ukraine were going to do, they'd still be trying to dig putins corpse out of a pile of rubble
Asfalttikyntaja@sopuli.xyz · 13 pts · 235d
Russians are lying? Who would have guessed?
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 12 pts · 235d
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...
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 235d
And if they were, so what?
tomiant@piefed.social · 10 pts · 235d
The Russians were LYING? I don't know what to say, I really thought higher of them.
Tja@programming.dev · 2 pts · 235d
Must be the first time they have done such a thing!
manuallybreathing@lemmy.ml · 0 pts · 235d
Source: the CIA
lol, reassess your beliefs
Geobloke@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 235d
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/
SkyezOpen@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 235d
Reassess your love for dictators.
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org · 10 pts · 235d
I mean, I think they really should target Putin. I'd love that actually.
vga@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 234d
Xittstorm@aussie.zone · 7 pts · 235d
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.
BanMe@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 235d
Eh Trump will call the CIA fags and say Putin's far more trustworthy
stringere@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 235d
Or have them link it to Venezuela in some way so they can blow up more ports.
stringere@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 235d
Or have them link it to Venezuela in some way so they can blow up more ports.
Rhoeri@piefed.world · 6 pts · 234d
And who cares if they did?
TheJesusaurus@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 235d
Why would it matter that they did?
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org · 3 pts · 235d
Be a lot cooler if they did.
Alaik@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 235d
5 people fired at the CIA in 10.... 9...
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 234d
Well, next story will be Trump firing senior CIA officials in retaliation for undermining Trump's parroting of Putin's lies.
falseWhite@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 234d
Formfiller@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 235d
I wish they would
Th3D3k0y@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 235d
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.
Earthman_Jim@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 235d
obviously
it makes no strategic sense to attack one of his many fun-houses
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 235d
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.
grue@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 235d
Too bad.
manuallybreathing@lemmy.ml · -2 pts · 235d
Ya'll should consider changing lemmy.world to lemmy.world-cia
drmoose@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 235d
Only after you change lemmy.ml to lemmy.megalosers
vegeta@lemmy.world · -3 pts · 235d
chuuuu
ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world · -3 pts · 235d
Well, if the CIA says it...
Earthman_Jim@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 235d
Well, if Putin says it...
Fucking obviously Ukraine didn't waste ordinance on one of his fake houses. He lives underground where he belongs.
atzanteol@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 235d
It's a Russian friendly source, so may be believable.