Putin's Sochi retreat demolished amid safety fears

The main building of Vladimir Putin's residence, Bocharov Ruchey in Sochi, has been completely demolished, reports Proekt. The dictator has reportedly also stopped flying to his beloved city. "After drone attacks, he feared for his life," said one of the interviewees.

According to Proekt, an investigative service run by independent journalists, President Vladimir Putin has not visited Sochi for seven months, although he used to spend a lot of time in this city regularly.

The reason? One of the interviewees told journalists that the dictator "began to fear for his life after drone attacks on targets in the city."

In 2024, Putin did not even fly to Sochi for the May birthday of Alina Kabaeva, a Russian gymnast and Putin's alleged lover, which he had regularly done since 2012.

Journalists also obtained satellite images of Putin's residence. By comparing them, it was revealed that the main building of Bocharov Ruchey was demolished.

The dismantling of the facility began in February and was completed in March. "Currently, there is a pit on the premises of the residence around which construction equipment is operating. No reason for the building’s demolition has been given," it states.

The complex also contains the Bocharov Ruchey-2 building, built on the outskirts of the plot. Among other things, it houses a press center and a conference room. The last time Putin hosted guests in the Bocharov Ruchey-2 complex was in March 2024, where he met with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

In May 2024, one of the buildings of the residence in the village of Onguday in the Altai Republic was completely burned down. This was the place where, in 2013, Putin hosted Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The causes of the fire remain unexplained to this day.

Proekt is an independent Russian media outlet specializing in investigative journalism. Since 2019, following publications about the Wagner group, journalists have been under the watch of the Russian authorities. Their stories have often been cited, including by "The New York Times".