Vladimir Putin’s luxurious palace has been left unprotected after Ukraine destroyed its air defences.
Kyiv has increasingly targeted Russia’s oil and power infrastructure, tankers, as well as warehouses for “Russia’s Amazon”, a massive online marketplace called Wildberries.
But on August 7, a Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system was destroyed near the resort town of Gelendzhik, where Mr Putin has a massive, palatial home.
Just two days later, a nearby S-400 anti-aircraft system was struck.
Read Also: GB News Daily Reflection – Wednesday 12th August 2026
Read Also: Three ways to watch Britain's solar eclipse safely without sold-out special glasses
The Volna Kupol Garant system, the size of a small military base, is used to jam communications networks, including Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet.
Military analyst Yan Matveyev said the destruction of the system allowed for Ukrainian drones to target other air defences, namely the S-400, made to deter aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.
“Satellite imagery shows the destruction of at least one launcher… Now Putin’s ‘palace’ is left unprotected,” Mr Matveyev told the Mail.
Major Robert Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces, said the S-400 had been “left ablaze and sputtering for three hours”.
The ornate palace, used as a holiday home for the Russian leader, has been systematically targeted by Kyiv, according to local reports.
His 16-storey underground complex and bunker garnered notoriety after Alexei Navalny posted a video in 2021 alleging it had cost nearly £1billion and was paid for by the “largest bribe in history” from a circle of businessmen close to Putin.
In 2024, Mr Navalny mysteriously died in a remote prison – his widow has accused Mr Putin of poisoning him, but the Kremlin claims it was totally uninvolved.
The property is said to include lavish features such as an ornate tea house, an amphitheatre, a helipad, a church and several restaurants.
READ MORE ON VLADIMIR PUTIN:
- Vladimir Putin’s nuclear bombs blessed by Russian Orthodox leader for ‘holy war’ against Ukraine
- Vladimir Putin’s ‘toxic’ inner circle turns on President as Russia devastated by nightly drone blitz
- Vladimir Putin ‘might jump out of a window’ as oil crisis sparks oligarch fury
It also features a casino, an ice rink and a vineyard.
But the Russian President rarely visits the holiday site, instead preferring to stay in a highly-fortified luxury property on Lake Valdai, 185 miles east of Moscow.
Mr Putin has denied owning the palace – instead, businessman Arkady Rotenberg insists he owns the infamous site.
Overnight, Ukraine launched a major assault on its invader, with Russia’s Defence Ministry claiming it was forced to down over 500 drones across the country.
The strikes came after Kyiv targeted oil tankers in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
But these were shockingly halted after an intervention from US Vice President JD Vance.
Last month, the US was alarmed that Ukraine’s strikes had destabilised oil markets by targeting tankers carrying oil from Kazakhstan.
Kyiv has now backed down and agreed not to strike non-Russian vessels as long as they are not under Ukrainian sanctions and are not carrying Russian oil or cargo, according to the Financial Times.
Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter
