Russia's president only spent eight days at his Sochi residence in 2023, in contrast to an average of over 30 days annually before the Ukraine war.

Part of Vladimir Putin’s summer residence has been demolished with the Russian leader seemingly increasingly reluctant to visit the property on the Black Sea because of the dangers posed by Ukrainian drone attacks, it has been reported.

Independent Russian investigative outlet Proekt (Project) said satellite imagery shows that the main building of the Bocharov Ruchey property in Sochi had been demolished in February and March, leaving a pit and construction equipment in its place.

    • jonne@infosec.pubEnglish
      18·
      1 month ago

      Maybe he’s thinking about what would happen after he dies and the press were to tour the place? Navalny published pictures of it a few years ago and it was ridiculously opulent.

      • Hubi@feddit.orgEnglish
        19·
        1 month ago

        That’s not the place that Navalny’s team published the photos of. This one was more like a dacha. His Palace is even closer to Ukraine, but way too expensive to be demolished like that. He has been there only a few times since it was built.

      • runiq@feddit.orgEnglish
        7·
        1 month ago

        Yeah, I saw that report, it was absolutely ludicrous. But that just makes me wonder even more. Why destroy a thing when you’ve spent millions of (buckets of) rubles and years to build it in the first place? Just because Ukraine could destroy it someday? Why not just… not visit anymore? I really don’t get it.

        • jonne@infosec.pubEnglish
          4·
          1 month ago

          I mean, I don’t really get it either, but it’s hard for me to get into the mindset of a guy like that.

          I tried reading the article and it seems to talk about a different building built in the 50s? So maybe it’s just something he wants to rebuild and it doesn’t really have anything to do with the war, it’s not exactly a well written article.

    • Hubi@feddit.orgEnglish
      9·
      1 month ago

      Probably to prevent the bad optics of Ukraine blowing it up with their new long range drones. His residence was about 600km away from the frontline, well within reach.