Ukraine destroys air defenses protecting Putin's palace near Gelendzhik, Russian media report
Photo: S-400 surface-to-air missile system (Russian media)
Ukraine targets Putin’s palace
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been systematically destroying Russian air defense systems in the Gelendzhik area, where Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "palace" is located, the outlet reports.
Two successful strikes were carried out:
- On August 7, the Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system was hit near the site.
- On August 9, an S-400 surface-to-air missile system located nearby was struck.
The destruction of the electronic warfare system, deployed at military unit No. 2156, was confirmed by satellite imagery.
The Volna Kupol Garant system is used to jam Starlink satellite communications, protecting an area of up to 20 km.
According to military analyst Yan Matveyev, the system is effective against drones. However, its drawback is its size: it is roughly as large as a "small military base" and can be easily identified from the air.
Path opened for Ukrainian drones
The destruction of the electronic warfare system allowed Ukrainian drones to strike the S-400 located just 500 meters away.
Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said that on the night of August 9, Ukrainian forces struck the air defense system capable of launching six missiles simultaneously.
The fire at the S-400 lasted for three hours.
"Satellite imagery shows the destruction of at least one launcher... Now Putin’s palace is left without protection," Matveyev said.
Putin’s palace
The site is located on the Black Sea coast, about 20 km from Gelendzhik.
The 17,700-square-meter complex has a no-fly zone, while 7,000 hectares of surrounding land are owned by the FSB, according to an investigation by Alexei Navalny.
The Anti-Corruption Foundation estimated the construction cost of the complex at at least 100 billion rubles.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the first target of the Unmanned Systems Forces on the night of August 9 was an S-400 Triumf air defense position in Gelendzhik, Russia. The day before, on August 8, the system had launched six missiles between 9:25 a.m. and 12:51 p.m.
On August 3, during a drone attack on Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, a drone fell on a beach in Arkhipo-Osipovka near Gelendzhik. Russian authorities said six people were killed, including three children.
