Ukrainian drones struck a position of the S-400 Triumf air defense system near the so-called 'Putin's palace' outside Gelendzhik on the Black Sea coast overnight on August 9, according to Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces.
'The S-400 position in Gelendzhik burned and puffed for three hours, on the shore, right next to the catacombs,' Brovdi wrote. He also said the strikes hit a Tor air defense system in Pudov, Rostov region, a Pantsir-S1 in Yeysk, and two radar stations — Podlet-K1 and Kasta 2E2 — in the Rostov region. Ukrainian drones also struck an oil tanker and two dry cargo ships in the Black Sea.
According to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), at least 100 billion rubles were spent on the construction of the 'Putin's palace' near Gelendzhik. In late August 2025, a Ukrainian drone fell about 10 km from the site, sparking a forest fire that took four days to extinguish. In December, the Kremlin reported a massive drone attack on Putin's residence on Valdai; Kyiv denied the accusations.
The Moscow Times reported that Ukrainian forces also destroyed a new Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system in Gelendzhik, capable of jamming Starlink signals. The strike was carried out on August 7 against military unit No. 2156; satellite imagery confirmed the successful hit. This is the third loss of such a system for the Russian military.
Sources differ: Brovdi reported the strike on the S-400 on the night of August 9, while The Moscow Times wrote about the destruction of the electronic warfare system in Gelendzhik on August 7. Russian military officials have not commented on the reports of strikes on air defense assets.