New Delhi, Dec. 31 -- India on Tuesday expressed concern at the reported targeting of President Vladimir Putin's residence in northwestern Russia by Ukraine, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying all parties should remain focused on diplomatic efforts to end hostilities and avoid any actions that can undermine these initiatives. Russia said on Monday that Ukraine tried to attack Putin's state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region with 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied the allegations made by Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. "Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation," Modi, who has maintained that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way out of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, said on social media. "Ongoing diplomatic efforts offer the most viable path toward ending hostilities and achieving peace. We urge all concerned to remain focused on these efforts and to avoid any actions that could undermine them," he said. During meetings with Putin and Zelensky since the start of the conflict in February 2022, Modi has insisted that this is not an "era of war". He has also told them that solutions cannot be found on the battlefield and talks cannot succeed under the shadow of the gun. Hours later, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia hadn't provided "any plausible evidence" to back up its accusations and expressed disappointment at statements by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan and India expressing concern over "the attack that never happened". Sybiha contended Russia has a "long record of false claims" and said: "Such reactions to Russia's baseless manipulative claims only play into Russian propaganda and encourage Moscow for more atrocities and lies." He also said responding to unverified claims can undermine the peace process. The UAE's foreign ministry, in a statement, strongly condemned the "attempt to target the residence" of Putin and denounced the threat to security and stability....