“Now Putin’s ‘Palace’ Is Left Unprotected” as Ukraine Knocks Out Nearby S-400

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are dismantling Russian air defense systems in the Gelendzhik area, exposing the airspace around Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s massive Black Sea “palace,” The Moscow Times reported on August 11.

The degradation of the area’s defenses began on August 7, when a Ukrainian strike destroyed the “Volna Kupol Garant” electronic warfare (EW) system deployed at military unit No. 2156. The system was designed to jam Starlink satellite communications and protect a 20-square-kilometer area, The Moscow Times wrote.

Military analyst Yan Matveev, cited by The Moscow Times, said the massive EW station was effective against drones but easy to identify from the air, likening its size to that of a “small military base.”

The elimination of the Volna Kupol Garant system cleared the path for Ukrainian drones to target a nearby S-400 surface-to-air missile system located just 500 meters away. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, stated that the S-400 had fired six missiles before being successfully struck on the night of August 9.

The resulting fire burned for three hours. Analyzing satellite imagery that confirmed the destruction of at least one launcher, Matveev concluded, “That’s it, now Putin’s 'palace' is left unprotected,” according to the publication.

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Putin’s sprawling 17,700-square-meter estate is located on the Black Sea coast approximately 20 kilometers from Gelendzhik. The compound gained international notoriety following an investigation by Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, which estimated its construction cost at a minimum of 100 billion rubles ($1.2 billion).

The investigation revealed that the heavily guarded facility features a church, hockey rink, cinema, multiple restaurants, a helipad, and extensive spa facilities. They are all surrounded by a strict no-fly zone and 7,000 hectares of land reportedly owned by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), The Moscow Times reported.

The destruction of the Volna Kupol Garant system in Gelendzhik marks at least the third recent successful strike against Russia’s newest electronic warfare technology, which is specifically designed to jam Starlink satellite communications.

Manufactured in temporarily occupied Simferopol at an estimated cost of $1.5 million per unit, the complex uses multiple antennas to generate a 20-square-kilometer protected jamming zone. However, pro-Russian military analysts admitted that the system’s massive dimensions and powerful emissions make it nearly impossible to conceal, allowing Ukrainian forces to easily detect and target it deep in the rear, the channels reported.

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