Man who thought he’d invade Kyiv in three days installs air defence on summer house

by David Spangler

What people look for in a summer getaway tends to include a nice view, a swimming pool and maybe even an ice cream or two.

But Vladimir Putin’s summer retreat now includes a new anti-missile air defence system.

It’s no secret that the Russian president has multiple official residences, one of which includes a retreat in the Black Sea city of Sochi, Bocharov Ruchey.

Putin often worked from the mansion before the coronavirus pandemic to promote the city’s tourism industry and greet visitors in a more relaxed setting.

He even met his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in June and July at Bocharov Ruchey.

Yet incoming kamikaze drone strikes in Sochi haven’t exactly done much to encourage vacationers to visit the Krasnodar city.

A Pantsir-S1 air defence system has been installed right on a beach in Mamika, according to a video shared with the Sirena Telegram news account.

The defence system was spotted by a passer-by on a beach not far away from the mansion (Picture: Will Stewart/East2West)

On October 1, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported a drone attack on a Russian helicopter parking lot in Sochi.

Only two weeks later two Ukrainian kamikaze drones were shot down as they targeted Sochim with explosions erupting offshore in the Krasnodar region.

Bocharov Ruchey, built in 1955, had long been considered out of harm’s way amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

Similar air defence installations have been spotted near his forest palace at Valdai, north of Moscow, and close to his Novo-Ogaryovo near the capital city.

Alina Kabaeva, 40, a retired Olympic gymnast with whom the Russian leader is believed to be romantically involved, runs a rhythmic gymnastics academy in Sochi.

The investigative news outlet, Proekt, reported in 2020 that Putin has built two identically appointed offices for video linkups to make working from home easier for the president.

Complete with armchairs and a Russian flag, the Bocharov Ruchey meeting room is a replica of the same room as Putin’s office in Moscow.

Putin has another property just outside Moscow, Novo-Ogaryovo and the £1,000,000,000 clifftop palace at Gelendzhik, in the same Krasnodar region.

Nothing says a summer holiday quite like a new anti-missile air defence system. 

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