Tourist gloom in Russia because of drones: Putin cancels Sochi and ideologues pray for missiles on Moscow
24 July 15:33
From Putin’s canceled vacation to Dugin’s panicked statement about “praying for missiles,” Russia is sinking deeper into an atmosphere of threats, terror and mobilization hysteria. Why did the Russian president abruptly cancel his trip to Sochi, whom is Pugacheva afraid of, and why are Kremlin ideologues proposing to ban Russians from vacationing?
How drones have paralyzed aviation, how many millions of dollars Moscow is losing, and why civil aviation in Russia may disappear in a few years – in the article "Komersant Ukrainian".
Increased threat of terrorist attacks: Putin cancels vacation in Sochi
Vladimir Putin canceled his planned vacation in Sochi due to the growing terrorist threat in southern Russia. According to sources in the FSB, the Kremlin Snuffbox telegram, there has been a recent increase in the activity of dormant terrorist cells in the region.
“In addition to the direct military threat, the threat of terrorist attacks has been added. Additional FSB and Rosgvardia forces have been sent to the south. The police have also been informed. Patrols and road checks have been stepped up. Particular attention is being paid to passengers traveling by train,” said a source in the special service.
The Federal Security Service (FSO) refused to comment on the information about the change of the Russian president’s vacation location.
Previously, the Kremlin has repeatedly used Sochi as an “alternative residence” for the head of state during the summer months. This year, the planned visit was canceled amid the alarming security situation in the region. According to closed sources, the decision is purely security-related and is a reaction to internal assessments by the security services of instability in the North Caucasus and adjacent territories.
Alla Pugacheva canceled her trip to Russia due to government warnings
Russian pop prima donna Alla Pugacheva has decided not to return to Russia this year, despite previous plans to spend several weeks in the country in August and September. This was reported by the Kremlin Snuffbox Telegram channel, citing sources close to the artist.
According to the information, Pugacheva planned to visit Russia to resolve a number of personal, financial and work issues, as well as to see friends. However, according to a close friend of the singer, after talking to a knowledgeable person in the government, she changed her mind.
“Allochka was planning to come. But an acquaintance in the government told her that she shouldn’t come yet. That it might be dangerous for her in Russia,” the friend told the Kremlin Snuffbox Telegram channel
She did not specify whether this was a personal threat to Pugacheva or the general situation in the country, which is associated with the intensification of strikes on the territory of Russia, in particular in Moscow and the Moscow region.
Nevertheless, another source close to the artist noted that Pugacheva has not abandoned her intention to return. According to him, she is “considering coming back early next year” because, in her words, “a lot can change in the country.”
The source could not specify what exactly the singer meant by these words.
“Either everyone goes to war or missiles.” Dugin suggests Putin should ban Russians from vacationing
Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin has called on Vladimir Putin to completely ban Russian citizens from air travel and vacationing at seaside resorts, both domestically and abroad. This is stated in his commentary to the Kremlin Snuffbox Telegram channel.
According to Dugin, society is not ready for “total mobilization” and lives in the illusion of peacetime, which, he said, prevents Russia from winning a “great war.”
“We must unite and declare total mobilization. The people do not want this. So, we must force it. And before that, we have to remove all unnecessary things from our lives: flights, vacations, resorts. If you don’t want to go to the front, you don’t have the right to vacation on the Black Sea or fly by plane,” Dugin said.
His appeal to Putin to close the resort destinations and his hint of a “sign from above” were particularly resonant.
“I pray for missile strikes on Moscow, now on Sochi, Yalta, Gelendzhik. They will wake up our people. If they do not understand when the trains stopped, there will be missiles. Either everyone will go to war, or there will be missiles!” Alexander Dugin emphasized.
The Kremlin confirmed that it had received a list of proposals from Dugin “aimed at mobilizing society around the Victory.” However, according to the source, President Putin has not yet considered them, but plans to do so in the near future.
This statement sparked a debate in Russian society, especially against the backdrop of an increase in the number of attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation, the cancellation of events and reports of increased terrorist threats in the southern regions.
How much money Russia is losing due to drone attacks
From July 19 to 21, more than a thousand flights were canceled or delayed in Moscow and the Moscow region due to the threat of drone attacks. As a result, three Moscow airports – Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo – operated in the “Carpet” plan mode for more than 50 hours. During this time, 134 aircraft were redirected to alternate airfields. The holiday season turned into an aviation collapse for thousands of Russians.
Experts estimate that the delay of just one Boeing 737 flight costs 1.5 million rubles.
“This is without taking into account the cost of passenger service. The cost of diverting one plane to an alternate airfield is almost the same – 1.5-2 million rubles. For a correct assessment of the damage from airport closures amid drone attacks, it is also necessary to take into account the losses of passengers who do not have time to catch connecting flights and final destinations, lost revenue of taxi services and losses in other related areas,” Dmitry Datsikov
The Russian aviation industry is already in crisis. After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it lost access to spare parts, maintenance and modernization. As a result, about 60 aircraft have already been written off in 2024, and this trend is only getting worse. Experts estimate that the Russian fleet will lose another 10-15% of aircraft every year.
Despite the Kremlin’s loud statements about plans to produce thousands of aircraft by 2030, the reality is different: new aircraft are not being produced, and the cost of development is growing rapidly. For example, the MS-21 project has risen in price by 3 billion rubles in a year, and the Il-114-300 by more than a billion.
While Moscow is trying to demonstrate control over the situation, Russian civil aviation is slowly but steadily losing its ability to function. In the next five years, the industry will be completely degraded.
