Russia and the United States are locked in a political clash over Moscow’s claim that a downed Ukrainian drone was programmed to strike Vladimir Putin’s Valdai residence, a narrative U.S. intelligence and Ukraine both reject as implausible and politically driven. While Russia vows to share “decrypted” drone data with Washington to back its story, U.S. assessments say the strike package was aimed at a separate military facility in Novgorod, not Putin’s retreat, and Kyiv calls the episode a fabrication meant to sabotage peace talks.