ISTANBUL

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on Wednesday condemned an alleged drone attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence, which Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.

In a statement by Tajikistan’s presidency, Rahmon expressed his condemnation during a phone call with his Russian counterpart.

“It was particularly emphasized that such actions, threatening state facilities and the security of the country's leadership, are unacceptable, and that they create obstacles to the negotiation process aimed at achieving peace and stability,” the statement said.

It added that both Rahmon and Putin positively assessed the development of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia, as well as stressed their readiness to accelerate the expansion of their strategic partnership in 2026.

The two presidents also exchanged New Year greetings.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukraine launched a drone attack on Putin’s residence in the northwestern Novgorod region using 91 long-range strike drones on the night of Dec. 28-29.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy immediately denied Lavrov's claims in a statement on US social media company X, arguing the accusations seek to "undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump's team."

He claimed that Moscow's allegations seek to "justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia's own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war."