putin destroyed his residence in Sochi out of fear of the Ukrainian armed forces: what it looked like (photos, video)
7 October 2024 18:22
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the demolition of his residence in Sochi. The Russian leader is afraid to visit the resort because of a possible attack by Ukrainian drones, reports "Komersant Ukrainian" citing an an investigation by media outlet Proekt.
The media outlet reported that the main building of Putin’s southern residence, Bocharov Ruchei, has been demolished. Now there is a construction pit with machinery working there.
Demolition of the main building began in February 2024. The demolition was completed in March. No official reports of any work in the residence were made.
At the same time, the Russian president could hold meetings: he has a second building on the territory of the residence. But the president no longer comes there.
“Putin no longer flies to Sochi and neighbouring cities at all – he hasn’t been there for seven months. This is a record for at least the last 10 years. This year, among other things, he broke his long-standing tradition of celebrating the birthday of his beloved Alina Kabayeva on the Black Sea coast,” the journalistic investigation says.
The media writes that the main reason for the changes is fear for his own life. The Russian president has cut back on visits to Sochi after Ukrainian armed forces drones attacked the city several times and damaged the airport’s helipad.
What is known about Putin’s residence “Bocharov Ruchei”
This is the summer residence of Vladimir Putin. It is located in the forest park valley of the same name in the Tsentralny district of Sochi, Krasnodar Territory (Russia).
Construction of the residence began in the Soviet era (in 1934). Starting in 1960, the top Soviet leadership had their holidays here: Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, Mikhail Suslov. After 1991, Bocharov Ruchey became the only Russian governmental dacha on the Black Sea and acquired the status of the official residence of the Russian President.
Until 2024, it was a multifunctional complex located on a 40-hectare territory. This area was home to a number of buildings, the main one being a large two-storey dacha. The main building was located next to the building where guests were accommodated.
The main building was located on a hill from where guests could admire the seascape. The main mansion, in addition to the study and bedrooms, had a reception area, a security room and guest apartments. On the second floor there was a living room that could accommodate up to 20 people.
The territory was fenced. A luxurious beach complex with a canopy, sun loungers and showers was envisaged. There was a pier on the beach in the form of an equipped L-shaped pier for the Russian president’s boat. An indoor press centre with a huge conference hall was also built.
It is known that the historic building of the Sochi residence was renovated before the Sochi Olympics, according to satellite images available on the Google Earth application. The building’s roof and adjacent territory were changed, and a gazebo was added. There was no official announcement of the reconstruction of the residence in those years either.
In 2017, a special railway line was built to the residence. It could be used if Putin came there in his own armoured train.
How often did the Russian president visit the residence in Sochi?
Before the war with Ukraine, Vladimir Putin visited Sochi dozens of times a year.
in 2023, Putin spent a record amount of time at the Bocharov Ruchei residence: he officially stayed in Sochi for only eight days, whereas before the pandemic, he could spend 30 or more days a year in Sochi.
And in 2024, the Russian dictator had only one meeting in Sochi – on 6 March with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. Since then, he has not been to the Black Sea coast.
In September-October 2023, Ukrainian drones began flying to Sochi. For example, on the night of 30 September to 1 October, one of the drones crashed into the Sochi airport and damaged the helipad.
By the way, according to journalists of the Project media outlet, from 2014 to 2021, Vladimir Putin’s mistress Alina Kabaeva lived in Bocharovoye Ruche. This is confirmed, in particular, by leaks of FSB data on border crossings. She flew abroad from Sochi.
