Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Ukraine destroys air defences protecting Putin's palace as strikes escalate
Ukraine and Russia are fighting a war, and Ukraine's soldiers are using drones, which are like remote-controlled flying machines, to attack places inside Russia.
Recently, they blew up a big missile launcher called an S-400 that was protecting a giant house near a town called Gelendzhik.
People say the giant house belongs to Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia, and that it cost about one billion pounds.
The house reportedly has a casino, a theatre, a vineyard and even a room for toy trains.
Ukraine also destroyed a machine that blocks satellite signals, and one officer said the missile launcher burned for three hours.
Now some experts think Ukraine might attack the palace itself next.
The palace is built inside a cliff so it can survive a nuclear explosion.
A man named Alexei Navalny once said the palace was paid for with the 'largest bribe in history.'
However, Putin mostly stays at a different house near Lake Valdai, far away from the fighting.
Ukrainian drones destroyed at least one S-400 'Triumph' launcher about 12 miles from Putin's residence near Gelendzhik, leaving it 'ablaze and sputtering for three hours,' according to Major Robert Brovdi.
The Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system, used to jam Starlink communications around the palace, was destroyed on August 7, two days before the S-400 strike.
Military analyst Yan Matveyev said satellite images show the £1 billion palace is now left unprotected, fuelling speculation that Kyiv could target it next.
Alexei Navalny's 2021 investigation alleged the palace was built for Putin with money from what he called the 'largest bribe in history.'
The strikes are part of a broader Ukrainian campaign: more than 450 drones entered Russian airspace overnight Monday, hitting an oil refinery in Tatarstan and killing at least 13 people.
- Who
- Ukraine's military, including Major Robert Brovdi's unmanned systems forces, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose Black Sea residence near Gelendzhik is reportedly the target.
- What
- Ukrainian drones destroyed the Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system and at least one S-400 missile launcher guarding the residence, leaving the palace reportedly unprotected and potentially next in line for attack.
- When
- The electronic warfare system was destroyed on August 7; the S-400 launcher was hit two days later, around August 9.
- Where
- Near Gelendzhik, on Russia's Black Sea coast.
- Why
- To strip the defences around the residence and raise the cost of the war to pressure Moscow into negotiations; an attack on the palace itself would be a huge turning point.
Ukraine's escalation strategy
Russia's refusal to freeze the front
Path to ending the war
Ukraine's escalation strategy
Ukraine hopes its expanding drone campaign inside Russia will raise the cost of the war and push the Kremlin towards negotiations.
Russia's refusal to freeze the front
Moscow has shown little willingness to accept Kyiv's terms; Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said no 'freeze' is possible without addressing the root causes of the crisis.
- Reported palace cost
- Up to Rs 12,000 crore / £1 billion (alleged by Navalny)
- Palace size
- 17,700 square metres
- Underground complex
- 16 storeys with a bunker, built inside a cliff that can withstand a nuclear attack
- Destroyed electronic warfare system
- Volna Kupol Garant, near Gelendzhik, on August 7
- Destroyed air defence
- At least one S-400 launcher, about 12 miles from the palace, ablaze for three hours
- Protection zone
- 27-square-mile buffer zone and permanent no-fly zone over the residence
- Where Putin mostly stays
- His dacha at Lake Valdai, about 185 miles east of Moscow
- Recent wider strikes
- 450+ drones entered Russian airspace overnight Monday; Tatarstan oil refinery hit, at least 13 killed
