Ukrainian drone сauses fire near Vladimir Putin's Black Sea palace and winery, media reports
Parts of a Ukrainian drone have fallen on a forest near a palace and winery on the Black Sea used by Russian President Vladimir Putin, causing a fire, Russian independent media the Insider reported on Aug. 29.
The fire started as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack on Aug. 28 near a village close to Gelendzhik, a Russian resort town, according to the reports.
By the morning of Aug. 29, the had grown to an area 41,5 hectares (102,5 acres), according to Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry.
The village is located 10 kilometers (6,21 miles) from Putin's palace on Cape Idokopas. According to Important Stories, the fire may have broken out 3-4 kilometers (2 miles) from the palace.
Another fire was started less than a kilometer from Putin's Krinitsa winery.
Both the winery and the palace, appeared in investigation by Alexey Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation in 2021, sparking major protests in Russian cities.
The Idokopas Palace, built between 2005 and 2010, has gained notoriety its huge cost and lavish interiors — including a private theater, a game room with slot machines, a pole-dancing lounge, a casino, and an "aqua-disco."
According to another investigation published by Russian opposition meda Project in May 2024, entertainment zones in the palace had been eliminated, replaced by a spacious hall dedicated to military paintings and a luxurious palace chapel that included an icon of Saint Vladimir, an iconostasis, and a wooden throne.
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted Russian infrastructure through sabotage operations and drone strikes throughout the full-scale war, aiming to destroy Russia's logistical capabilities in supplying the Russian military with fuel materials, ammunition, and personnel.
