Washington, Jan. 1 -- US national security officials have concluded that Ukraine did not attempt to target Russian President Vladimir Putin or any of his residences in a reported drone operation, countering Moscow's allegation that Kyiv sought to assassinate the Russian leader, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

The assessment is based on a Central Intelligence Agency evaluation that found no evidence of any attempted attack on Putin, according to a US official familiar with the intelligence findings. The CIA declined to comment publicly.

US intelligence agencies determined that Ukraine had been planning to strike a military objective located in the same broader region as Putin's country residence, but not in close proximity to it,...