President Donald Trump claimed that California and Minnesota are both rife with fraud, slamming the two states and their respective governors as ‘Crooked.’

‘There is more FRAUD in California than there is in Minnesota, if that is even possible. When you add in Election Fraud, then they are tied for first. Two Crooked Governors, two Crooked States!’ the president asserted in the post on Wednesday, referring to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Trump also slammed Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.

‘Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia. ‘Congresswoman’ Omar, an ungrateful loser who only complains and never contributes, is one of the many scammers. Did she really marry her brother? Lowlifes like this can only be a liability to our Country’s greatness. Send them back from where they came, Somalia, perhaps the worst, and most corrupt, country on earth. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!’ he declared.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Omar, Newsom and Walz to request comment but did not immediately hear back.

The president’s comments come in the wake of reporting alleging massive fraud in Minnesota.

‘We have frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota,’ Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Jim O’Neill declared in a Tuesday post on X. 

‘You have probably read the serious allegations that the state of Minnesota has funneled millions of taxpayer dollars to fraudulent daycares across Minnesota over the past decade,’ he noted. ‘I have activated our defend the spend system for all ACF payments. Starting today, all ACF payments across America will require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence before we send money to a state.’ 

Walz responded to the move by blasting Trump.

‘This is Trump’s long game. We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It’s a serious issue — but this has been his plan all along. He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans,’ Walz asserted in a post on Tuesday to his official governor’s X account.

In a follow-up post Wednesday to his personal account, Walz declared, ‘While Minnesota has been combating fraud, the President has been letting fraudsters out of jail. Trump’s using an issue he doesn’t give a damn about as an excuse to hurt working Minnesotans.’

Momentum on a 20-point peace plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine is faltering after President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv of targeting a residence linked to him, a claim Moscow says leaves little room for compromise at the negotiating table.

The accusation comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pressing a 20-point peace proposal as a counteroffer to a 28-point framework floated by the Trump administration before Thanksgiving. Zelenskyy was expected to present the plan directly to President Donald Trump during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, part of what he described as ‘some of the most active diplomatic days of the year.’

Russia claims Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack early Monday against a presidential residence in the Novgorod region, involving 91 long-range drones that were intercepted by Russian air defenses.

Russia’s defense ministry released footage of a masked soldier standing next to drone wreckage it said was recovered from the attack, claiming the drone carried a high-explosive warhead ‘filled with a large number of striking elements’ intended to hit civilian targets.

The Kremlin has described the site as a presidential residence in the Novgorod region, one of several state-owned properties associated with Putin, though it has not said he was present at the time.

Kremlin officials quickly branded the incident ‘terrorist’ activity, warning it would force Russia to harden its negotiating position. 

‘This terrorist action is aimed at collapsing the negotiation process,’ Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday. ‘The diplomatic consequence will be to toughen the negotiating position of the Russian Federation.’

Zelenskyy’s proposal calls for Western-backed security guarantees resembling NATO’s Article 5, a halt in fighting along current battle lines in contested regions, and the creation of demilitarized zones overseen by international forces — provisions Moscow has long opposed. The Ukrainian plan also rejects formal recognition of Russian control over occupied territory, a key point of divergence from the U.S. framework.

Ukraine has flatly denied responsibility for the alleged attack. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia has offered no evidence ‘because there’s none,’ accusing Moscow of leaning on a familiar strategy. 

‘Russia has a long record of false claims — it’s their signature tactic,’ Sybiha said in a post to the social platform X.

Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine had discussed the allegation with U.S. officials. ‘They’ve talked through the details. And we understand that it’s fake. And thanks to their technical opportunities, they can verify that it’s fake,’ he said.

Ukrainian officials argue the allegation fits a broader Kremlin playbook: using unproven claims to justify escalation or deflect blame as diplomacy intensifies. Kyiv has warned Moscow may be using the episode to lay the groundwork for new strikes, including against government buildings in the Ukrainian capital, while portraying Russia as the aggrieved party in peace talks.

The dispute has also drawn in Trump, who met with Zelenskyy in Florida Friday and later spoke by phone with Putin. Putin raised the alleged incident during their call.

‘I was very angry about it,’ Trump told reporters, adding that the U.S. was still working to determine what actually happened. ‘We’ll find out,’ he said.

Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, said on Fox Business that Washington is investigating Russia’s claim. 

‘It’s unclear whether it actually happened,’ Whitaker said. ‘We’re going to get to the bottom of the intelligence.’

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his New Year’s address to deliver a blunt message to the West and to his own troops: Russia is not backing down in Ukraine.

As 2026 arrived in Russia’s far eastern regions, Putin vowed victory in the nearly four-year war, praising Russian soldiers and framing the conflict as a fight for the nation’s survival — even as the United States ramps up diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the bloodshed.

‘We believe in you and our victory,’ Putin said in remarks broadcast nationwide and released by the Kremlin on Wednesday. Addressing troops directly, he congratulated ‘all our soldiers and commanders’ and pledged continued support for what Moscow calls its ‘special military operation.’

Putin cast the war as a struggle for Russia’s homeland, ‘truth and justice,’ signaling determination to press ahead despite mounting losses and international pressure.

In a separate message, ex-President Dmitry Medvedev — Putin’s security council deputy — said of victory in Ukraine: ‘I sincerely believe that it is near.’ Echoing Putin, he spoke of ‘our great and invincible Russia.’

The defiant tone comes as the war approaches grim milestones. On Jan. 12, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will surpass the 1,418 days the Soviet Union fought Nazi Germany in Europe during World War II. On Feb. 24, the conflict will enter its fourth year. Western estimates place the number of killed and wounded at more than 1 million — a figure the Kremlin disputes.

Putin’s rhetoric stood in sharp contrast to renewed diplomatic activity led by Washington.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday, as the White House explores possible paths to end Europe’s largest land war since World War II.

After the meeting, Trump said Ukraine and Russia were ‘closer than ever’ to peace, while acknowledging that major obstacles — particularly territorial disputes — remain unresolved. Reuters separately reported that Trump and Zelenskyy discussed potential U.S. troop involvement as part of broader security guarantees, though no decisions were announced.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The number of American citizens arrested and held in Venezuela has risen in recent months, according to a new report.

Several Americans have been detained by Venezuelan security forces as the Trump administration stepped up efforts to isolate President Nicolás Maduro, including sanctions enforcement and an expanded military presence in the Caribbean, The New York Times reported.

A U.S. official familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the outlet that while some detainees face what Venezuelan authorities describe as legitimate criminal charges, Washington is considering designating at least two Americans as ‘wrongfully detained.’

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This can speed up diplomatic efforts to secure their release.

Those arrested currently are said to include three Venezuelan-American dual nationals and two U.S. citizens with no known ties to Venezuela, the official told the outlet.

Maduro’s government has long been accused by U.S. officials and critics of using detained foreign nationals as leverage in negotiations with the U.S.

President Trump has made the release of Americans held overseas a priority during both of his presidencies. During his first term, he followed a campaign of maximum pressure against Maduro.

On his return to office in January, Trump also sent envoy Richard Grenell to Caracas to push for a prisoner agreement.

Grenell met Maduro in person and was tasked with securing the return of detained Americans, announcing he was bringing home six who had been imprisoned, per Reuters.

In May, Venezuela also released a U.S. Air Force veteran who had been detained for roughly six months. 

Joseph St Clair, who served in Afghanistan, had traveled to South America for treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

In July, as reported by Fox News Digital, 10 more Americans and U.S. permanent residents were released after a prisoner swap that saw more than 250 Venezuelans held in El Salvador also returned home. The U.S. State Department confirmed that release on July 18, 2025.

‘Our commitment to the American people is clear: we will safeguard the well-being of U.S. nationals both at home and abroad and not rest until all Americans being held hostage or unjustly detained around the world are brought home,’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time.

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That diplomatic push led to talks between U.S. and Venezuelan officials and resulted in the release of at least 16 American citizens and permanent residents by mid-2025.

Those negotiations were later suspended as the administration shifted toward broader pressure.

The U.S. began expanding sanctions enforcement, redeploying naval assets to the Caribbean, and increased operations targeting vessels allegedly linked to drug-trafficking networks tied to Maduro’s regime.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported Wednesday that among those Americans currently reported missing is James Luckey-Lange, 28, of Staten Island, New York, who went missing after crossing Venezuela’s southern border in early December.

Luckey-Lange is the son of musician Diane Luckey, known as Q Lazzarus.

Another former detainee, Renzo Huamanchumo Castillo, a Peruvian-American, told the outlet he was arrested last year and accused of terrorism and plotting to kill Mr. Maduro.

‘We realized afterward, I was just a token,’ he said. He was released in the July prisoner swap after months of harsh detention.

At least two others with U.S. ties remain imprisoned, according to their families: Aidel Suarez, a U.S. permanent resident born in Cuba, and Jonathan Torres Duque, a Venezuelan-American, according to reporting by The New York Times.

The exact number of newly detained Americans has not been publicly disclosed by U.S. officials.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of State for comment.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Wednesday sanctioned four companies operating in Venezuela’s oil sector and identified four oil tankers as blocked property, saying the move targets oil traders involved in alleged sanctions-evasion that helps finance Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

Treasury said the vessels, some described as part of a ‘shadow fleet’ serving Venezuela, ‘continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduro’s illegitimate narco-terrorist regime’ in Tuesday’s press release.

‘President Trump has been clear: We will not allow the illegitimate Maduro regime to profit from exporting oil while it floods the United States with deadly drugs,’ Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. ‘The Treasury Department will continue to implement President Trump’s campaign of pressure on Maduro’s regime,’ he added.

Treasury said the sanctions block property and interests in property of the designated entities within U.S. jurisdiction and generally prohibits Americans from transactions involving them.

The action follows U.S. measures against Venezuela’s state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA).

OFAC designated PDVSA in January 2019 under Executive Order 13850, and President Trump later took additional steps to block PDVSA in August 2019 under Executive Order 13884, Treasury said.

Treasury said Wednesday’s move also complements actions announced Dec. 11 and Dec. 19 targeting PDVSA-linked officials, associates and vessels.

OFAC designated Corniola Limited and Krape Myrtle Co LTD and identified the tanker NORD STAR as blocked property. OFAC also designated Winky International Limited and identified ROSALIND, also known as LUNAR TIDE, as blocked property. OFAC designated Aries Global Investment LTD and identified the tankers DELLA and VALIANT as blocked property, Treasury said.

Treasury said blocked property within U.S. jurisdiction must be reported to OFAC, and warned that violations of U.S. sanctions may result in civil or criminal penalties.

Treasury said the goal of sanctions is to bring about a positive change in behavior, noting there is a formal process for seeking removal from an OFAC list consistent with U.S. law.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday outlined a list of its accomplishments during President Donald Trump’s first year back in office, arguing that the agency has ended the political weaponization it says existed under the Biden administration.

The DOJ claimed in a statement posted on X that it has ‘turned around’ the agency, restoring fairness and law enforcement priorities.

‘Instead of keeping Americans safe, the Biden DOJ weaponized its power against political opponents: conservatives, parents, pro-lifers, Christians, and most of all, President Trump,’ the DOJ stated.

The DOJ said that after President Trump inherited a justice system it described as ‘in chaos,’ he charged the department with restoring ‘integrity, accountability and equal justice under the law.’

‘In 2025, the DOJ returned to its core mission: upholding the rule of law, vigorously prosecuting criminals, and keeping the American people safe,’ the department wrote.

The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to face legal challenges and the Justice Department faces potential legal action after missing a statutory deadlinedeadline to release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The DOJ outlined 10 ‘wins’ since President Trump took office on Jan. 20, including efforts to pursue major fraud cases, particularly in Minnesota, which it described as ‘rife with fraud.’

According to the DOJ, 98 people have been charged — including 85 individuals identified as being of Somali descent — in Medicaid fraud and related case programs, leading to 64 convictions to date.

The statement outlines actions taken to roll back policies it said were targeting conservatives and parents, reduce crime nationwide, increase law enforcement activity in major cities, seize record amounts of illegal drugs and secure favorable rulings at the Supreme Court.

On Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X that the bureau is working to restore trust in federal law enforcement.

‘Dismantling public corruption is a top priority of our leadership team here — we’ve worked day and night on that mission and will continue to do so until justice is done,’ he wrote.

The Justice Department said more enforcement actions are planned in 2026, signaling an escalation of arrests, court victories and action ‘against those who threaten the safety and well-being of the American people.’

Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.V., believed that Republicans had accomplished numerous feats in 2025, but he and his party had fallen woefully short of truly understanding what the everyday American thinks.

‘We, as Republicans, and I have said this so many times, we’re lousy,’ Justice told Fox News Digital. ‘We’re great at doing the good things, but we’re lousy at really knowing what Toby and Edith are thinking. And that causes a lot of problems.’

‘Toby’ and ‘Edith’ are the names Justice gives to the average voter, a group he said that he knows well from his time as West Virginia’s governor for eight years before joining the Senate after scoring an easy victory in the 2024 election.

Justice’s frustration came as Congress was readying to leave Washington, D.C., until the new year. Lawmakers had failed to tackle one last remaining issue after scores of legislative victories in the upper chamber: extending, or replacing, expiring Obamacare premium subsidies.

Those tax credits are set to lapse Wednesday, and tens of millions of Americans will see their out-of-pocket costs for healthcare double, triple and in some cases skyrocket by more than 300%.

Justice said that, as governor, there was understanding the credits would expire, given that Democrats under former President Joe Biden both enhanced the subsidies and set an expiration date for the end of the year. 

But to Toby and Edith, the political machinations and fights that dominated the latter part of the year mattered little. It’s the end result that they’re paying attention to, Justice said.

‘They’re thinking, ‘Well, you know, I know [former President Barack] Obama started all this stuff, and I know it didn’t work, and everything, but the Republicans are pretty much in charge right now,’’ Justice said. ‘‘So, you know, if they’re in charge, why don’t they fix it?’’

Effectively, he said, the extra money that people had to work with thanks to the subsidies would vanish, putting families and the Tobys and Ediths in the country under more financial strain.

‘That’s how they think, you know,’ Justice said. ‘And so what I would say to you is, if Republicans aren’t concerned about that, they’re making a bad move on the chessboard.’

What a fix could look like is in the air, for now. Senate Republicans’ plan to convert the subsidies into health savings accounts failed. So did Senate Democrats’ push for a three-year extension.

There are options bubbling from the House, including the GOP’s package that doesn’t address the subsidies, and a bipartisan plan that, similar to Senate Democrats’ proposal, would extend the subsidies for three years. The latter is expected to get a vote in early January.

Justice lauded President Donald Trump and Republicans’ work throughout the year, arguing that the GOP trifecta had ‘almost pitched nine perfect games,’ but the healthcare issue was one that would sting, politically and on the ground.

‘I think just an extension doesn’t work,’ Justice said. ‘We need to fix it. We need to fix it all. And I think that’s what President Trump is really trying to do. He’s trying to get the money in their hands, instead of the money to insurance companies. All that’s great and everything, but I’m telling you, our messaging is, as Republicans, is not great in my book.’

Protests spread across Iran on Tuesday after President Donald Trump and other administration officials voiced support for demonstrators. Speaking Monday, Trump pointed to Iran’s economic collapse and long-standing public discontent while stopping short of calling for regime change.

Inside Iran, demonstrations entered a third consecutive day, expanding beyond the capital’s commercial center. The exiled opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported widespread strikes and student protests across Tehran and multiple provincial cities, describing clashes with security forces and anti-government chants. A video obtained by the NCRI appears to show protesters pushing back security forces, forcing them to leave the scene on Tehran’s Jomhouri Street. 

Iran International reported that universities emerged as major protest hubs, with rallies at Tehran University, Sharif University of Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Elm-o-Sanat University and Khajeh Nasir University. Security forces tightened entry controls at campuses and reinforced offices linked to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Strikes spread across Tehran’s Shoush and Molavi districts and into Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Square, while parts of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and the gold market shut down. Mobile phone traders gathered outside major shopping centers after closing their stores. Protests turned violent in several locations, with tear gas fired in Tehran and Malard and reports of live fire in Hamadan. Nighttime demonstrations were reported from Qeshm Island in the south to Zanjan and Hamadan in the north, with videos showing chants of ‘death to the dictator.’

Speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, Trump said he was ‘not going to talk about overthrow of a regime.’ Instead, he focused on Iran’s deteriorating economy and the state’s violent response to protests. ‘They’ve got tremendous inflation. Their economy is busted, the economy is no good,’ Trump said. 

He said that when Iranians gather to protest, the regime responds with lethal force.

‘Every time they have a riot or somebody forms a group, little or big, they start shooting people,’ Trump said. ‘You know, they kill people. All of a sudden people start getting shot and that group disbanded pretty quickly.’

Trump said he has watched the unrest build for years, describing Iran’s leadership as brutal.

‘I’ve watched this for years — there is tremendous discontent,’ he said. ‘I’ve watched it for years, and vicious, vicious people.’ His remarks came as protests intensified following the collapse of Iran’s currency to historic lows. The rial fell to roughly 1.45 million per U.S. dollar on the open market, triggering strikes and demonstrations centered on Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and spreading to other major cities, according to Iran International’s live reporting. Videos and eyewitness accounts described heavy security deployments, clashes with demonstrators and the use of tear gas as unrest widened.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz issued a direct message of support. ‘The people of Iran want freedom,’ Waltz wrote on X. ‘We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a radical regime that has brought them nothing but economic downturn and war.’ 

A parallel statement from the U.S. government’s Persian-language account, @USAbehFarsi, said Washington supports the Iranian people’s efforts ‘to make their voices heard,’ urging the Islamic Republic to respect fundamental rights rather than suppress protests.

Iranian officials acknowledged the unrest but defended the government’s approach. Reuters reported that government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said Tehran recognizes protests and that officials would set up a mechanism to engage with protest leaders. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian directed his interior minister to address protesters’ ‘legitimate demands’ and engage in dialogue with their representatives.

Independent analysts warned the unrest reflects deeper structural strains. The OSINT research group SpecialEurasia said in an assessment on Tuesday that Iran’s internal stability has reached a ‘critical threshold,’ citing the convergence of currency collapse, renewed international sanctions and chronic water and energy shortages. The group noted that the participation of bazaar merchants, traditionally a pillar of regime support, signals declining confidence in the state’s economic management and raises the risk of prolonged unrest.

NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi said the protests reflect the anger of ‘tens of millions’ driven to the breaking point by inflation, corruption and clerical rule. NCRI’s claims reflect opposition reporting and cannot be independently verified due to restrictions on access inside Iran.

Cameron Khansarinia, vice president of the National Union for Democracy in Iran, said the latest demonstrations underscore a growing shift in public sentiment. ‘Iranians have once again taken to the streets.’ Citing President Donald Trump’s remarks this week, he added that ‘each time they do, the regime tries to crush it,’ but argued that ‘Iranians’ desire to be free is increasingly becoming greater than their fear of the regime.’ Khansarinia claimed that chants in support of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi have been growing in the protests, saying the protesters showed ‘remarkable bravery.’ 

As protests continue, verification of casualties and arrests remains limited, but the scale and spread of the unrest underscore mounting pressure on Iran’s leadership amid economic free fall and growing public defiance.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to produce documents related to its decision to investigate and bring criminal charges against Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia while he was detained at a maximum-security prison in El Salvador earlier this year – signaling what is sure to be an action-packed evidentiary hearing in Nashville next month. 

The order, filed by U.S. Judge Waverly Crenshaw earlier this month and released to the public Tuesday afternoon, requires the Justice Department to produce all relevant documents to defense lawyers pertaining to its decision earlier this year to open an investigation and seek criminal charges against Abrego Garcia for conduct stemming from a 2022 traffic stop. 

The Justice Department opened the criminal investigation and presented the case to a grand jury earlier this year, when Abrego Garcia was detained at CECOT, and at the same time as lawyers for the Trump administration officials were telling a separate federal judge in Maryland that they were powerless to bring him back from Salvadoran custody. 

The new order stops short of compelling any government witnesses to testify for next month’s hearing, including testimony from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, whose remarks – for months – have been at the center of the vindictive prosecution effort pursued by Abrego Garcia’s defense team in Tennessee.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have argued Blanche played ‘a leading role’ in the decision to prosecute him, a notion Blanche’s office has vehemently dismissed.

They had also honed in on the involvement of Blanche’s associate, Aakash Singh. 

‘The cornerstone of Abrego’s motion to dismiss is that the decision to prosecute him was in retaliation for his success in the Maryland District Court,’ Crenshaw said in the newly unsealed ruling. 

‘Indeed, at the time of Abrego’s arrest, Blanche linked Abrego’s criminal charges to his successful civil lawsuit in Maryland. Specifically, some of the documents suggest not only that McGuire was not a solitary decision-maker, but he, in fact, reported to others in DOJ and the decision to prosecute Abrego may have been a joint decision, with others who may or may not have acted with improper motivation.’ 

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw had ruled in October that Abrego Garcia had established a ‘reasonable likelihood’ that the criminal case against him was the result of vindictive prosecution by the Justice Department, a determination that shifted the burden to the government to rebut ahead of the criminal trial, and ordered the Trump administration to produce for the court internal documents and government witnesses to testify about its decision to bring the case. 

Lawyers for the Justice Department fiercely resisted efforts to produce government witnesses or documents, arguing that the documents should be protected by attorney-client privilege and work-product privilege, among other things. 

The evidentiary hearing is slated to take place on Jan. 28.

Crenshaw separately canceled the criminal trial date for Abrego Garcia, though the update is likely more a procedural one than a reflection of the status of the case.

Abrego Garcia’s status has been at the center of a legal and political maelstrom for nearly 11 months, after he was arrested and deported to his home country of El Salvador, in violation of a 2019 withholding of removal order. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Escalating claims by Russia that Ukraine tried to hit a residence used by President Vladimir Putin with drones have been dismissed by a top military drone expert, who called the alleged attack ‘hard to fathom’ and tactically implausible.

Cameron Chell’s comments came as Moscow doubled down on accusations Kyiv has flatly denied, with the drone industry leader arguing the alleged strike announced Monday runs counter to Ukraine’s drone tactics.

Chell, the CEO and co-founder of Draganfly, a drone manufacturer that supplies to the U.S. Department of Defense and allied militaries, including Ukraine, said Russia’s claims lack credibility.

‘What really makes things usually very signature about Ukraine is that they’re always incredibly clever about how they use drones,’ Chell told Fox News Digital.

‘They are clever from a cost perspective — let’s call it an efficiency perspective — but also very clever in their tactics,’ he added.

‘I find it hard to fathom that this drone attack even happened on Putin’s residence or that it was something that Ukraine orchestrated for a number of reasons,’ Chell said.

‘To get over the top of Putin’s residence, for one, the drones would not have been launched from a very long distance away,’ he added.

Chell’s comments came as Russia doubled down Tuesday on accusations that Ukraine attempted to strike a presidential palace in the Novgorod region using drones, allegedly to disrupt peace efforts.

Kyiv dismissed the allegation, with the timing also raising questions given the upbeat tone of a recent meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed late Monday that 91 drones were intercepted en route to Putin’s residence on the shores of Lake Valdai.

His statement appeared to contradict earlier Defense Ministry tallies, which said 89 drones were shot down over eight regions, including 18 over Novgorod, later adding another 23.

Only after Lavrov spoke did the ministry allege that 49 drones intercepted over Bryansk, nearly 300 miles away, were also targeting Valdai.

Asked about wreckage, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was ‘a matter for our military,’ while calling Zelenskyy’s denial and Western skepticism ‘completely insane.’

Peskov said Russia’s diplomatic stance would be toughened, and Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin vowed there could be ‘no forgiveness’ for Zelenskyy.

Chell said the story simply does not add up. ‘To attack Putin’s residence, you need long-range, very fast-moving drones,’ he said.

He added that for drones that small to reach such a site, they would have had to be launched from a much closer location, likely inside Russia itself.

‘They would have to be within about 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] — or maybe, at most, 30 kilometers — of Putin’s residence,’ Chell said.

‘That facility where Putin lives would also be incredibly secure, and so to have a number of lower-cost, slower-moving drones coming in on that facility would be very un-Ukrainian,’ Chell said.

‘Ukraine also doesn’t announce when they’re going to show up,’ he added.

Chell also noted that night operations would rule out GPS- or AI-based navigation due to jamming and visibility limits, making the launch of dozens of drones even less plausible.

‘Apparently the thing was at night, so that’s very difficult for machine vision or AI mapping software,’ he said. ‘So, you know, it definitely wasn’t using GPS, because it would have been jammed. There are just a bunch of things that don’t add up.’

Politically, Chell argued, Ukraine has nothing to gain. ‘They’re bold, but right in the middle of peace talks — when they need Trump on side — it makes no sense,’ he said. ‘Ukraine is just politically too smart to have done that.’

Zelenskyy on Monday also called the claim a complete fabrication, accusing Moscow of laying the groundwork for further attacks. 

Lavrov warned of retaliation but said Russia would continue talks with Washington.

Trump also said he learned of the alleged attack directly from Putin and was ‘very angry about it.’ Asked whether there was evidence, Trump replied, ‘We’ll find out.’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kremlin for comment.