A Ukrainian drone strike has ignited widespread forest fires in close proximity to Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s opulent Black Sea residence, colloquially known as “Putin’s Palace”.
As per a report, the Ukrainian drone was intercepted and shot down by Moscow’s defense systems, leading to a chain of forest fires. These fires reached within a few miles of Putin’s lavish Black Sea mansion, as confirmed by local Russian authorities.
The fire spread to a mere six miles from Putin’s expansive 190,000-square-foot estate at Cape Idokopas, near the resort town of Gelendzhik, not far from Crimea.
However as mentioned by New York Post, IStories, an independent Russian investigative outlet, reported the fire to be even closer to Putin’s residence, claiming it broke out just two miles from the palace.
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Emergency services were deployed to control the fires, with no casualties or injuries reported.
However, the smoke trapped 23 vacationers, cutting off their evacuation routes and necessitating a boat rescue. The question of whether Putin’s palace was the intended target of the drone strikes remains unanswered.
Putin’s Black Sea palace, located approximately 1,000 miles from Moscow, was first brought to light in a 2021 documentary by Russian dissident Alexei Navalny.
Navalny accused Putin of constructing the $1.5 billion retreat with illicit funds obtained from oil oligarchs and other billionaire allies.
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