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Russia’s rulers since the time of the czars have enjoyed the warm climate on the Black Sea, the palm trees and the Mediterranean ambience. And Vladimir Putin is no exception. He has frequently traveled to Sochi, the traditional health resort in the very south of the country, during his 25 years in office. He has usually spent up to five weeks a year there, mostly in May and early fall. In previous years, he has always resided in the luxurious presidential residence, called Bocharov Ruchey, situated on a hill above the sea.
While Soviet leaders Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev once relaxed, he receives state visitors and holds government meetings. Photos of meetings with Western leaders such as George W. Bush, Gerhard Schröder and Silvio Berlusconi on the idyllic pier of the residence have entered the annals of diplomatic history. A few years ago, Putin even had an exact copy of his Moscow workplace built in his palace, so he can keep the public in the dark about where he was at any given time.
This makes it all the more puzzling why Putin is suddenly avoiding Sochi this year. The last officially confirmed visit took place in March, when Putin received the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency there. However, the meeting did not take place in the central palace complex, but in a nearby conference building.
The online magazine Proekt, a publication of Russian researchers in exile, highlights such oddities for the first time and also uncovers a fact that was once kept secret by the Russian state: the presidential palace of Bocharov Ruchey no longer exists. the land. This can be verified without problems on the Google Maps platform. Where a year ago you could barely see the construction with its red roofs and well-kept park, now there is a huge gap that extends for approximately one hectare.
The satellite symbol used through Google Maps is from May 2024. Therefore, the demolition should have been positioned earlier. Images from Europe’s lower-resolution Sentinel satellite suggest the demolition took place in February or March. The fact that this is only now emerging is unexpected and at the same time shows how clever Putin’s regime is at keeping data secret – and how intimidated the country’s media, as well as citizens, are. The demolition paintings may not be completely hidden from attentive local observers, even though the site is surrounded by overhead fences.
Putin’s regime has kept its palaces secret. The magnificent complex near Gelendzhik, 150 kilometers from Sochi and also built on the shores of the Black Sea, has acquired a certain notoriety. He became famous in 2021 thanks to a film by opponent Alexeï Navalny, who has since died while incarcerated in a Russian prison. In recent years, it has also been known that Putin spends much of his time in the luxurious presidential apartment in Valdai, north of Moscow.
However, Sochi is not just any secret retreat. Rather, it is an official apartment where Putin impressed and enthusiastically performed his official duties. It is therefore strange that the regime does not see the need to justify the destruction of such a facility.
Proekt magazine presented an imaginable explanation for the secrecy, which, if true, would be embarrassing for Putin. Sochi is no longer supposed to be a safe position for the Russian president, and in fact, that hasn’t been the case since last year. In September 2023, Ukrainian long-range drones arrived in this town for the first time, traveling at least six hundred kilometers to do so. A fuel depot caught fire, and a few days later, there was an attack on the helipad at Sochi airport. Since this fall, there have been no reports of Putin visiting his beloved city, with only one exception.
Proekt journalists say that Putin is afraid of Ukrainian airstrikes and no longer sits at his residence. The idea is not far-fetched, especially since Putin’s obsession with his personal security is well known. However, this theory cannot yet be proven.
Weighing against the explanation is the fact that the Russian president had already reduced his visits to Sochi before the fall of 2023. Proekt itself points out that Putin had already given up his traditional long vacation on the Black Sea in May of that year. In the past, according to reporting by Russian media critical of the regime, he is said to have celebrated the birthday of his secret romantic partner Alina Kabaeva there. Russian media have reported that he has had several children with Kabaeva. The declining frequency of visits in 2023 may also have been due to security concerns, but that would mean that the Kremlin would have recognized the danger of Ukrainian drone attacks months in advance.
Regardless of those concerns, the question remains why Putin not only avoids Sochi, but even razed his Black Sea apartment. Concern about drones is not a sufficient explanation. Were there any challenges with the building? Only 10 years ago, Putin had the State Palace renovated and expanded considerably. A new port facility was then added, and in 2017, satellite photographs showed a special train station on the edge of the site. This allowed Putin to travel directly from Moscow to his apartment in the south. in his armored train, avoiding the riskier air direction near the war zone. Until recently, there was no indication that the Kremlin leader would tire of this place.
That’s why Putin hasn’t given up on Sochi. He probably wouldn’t have had his apartment demolished out of fear of drones, but because he ordered a new, even more opulent complex. For now, there is no conclusive evidence to support this. Theory. But a more recent satellite symbol from September 2024 shows clear signs of new structure activity at the arid site. Various framing machines are in use and extensive excavations appear to be underway.