Vladimir Putin was likely in Russian beach resort Sochi when a Ukrainian drone strike hit the city overnight, say reports.
A downed unmanned plane killed a car driver in the Black Sea city.
Sochi is 72-year-old Putin’s favourite resort and he has an official palace Bocharov Ruchey, now being reconstructed, here.
His lover Alina Kabaeva, 42, is also known to own a sumptuous penthouse in the city.
It is unclear whether Putin was targeted by Ukrainian drones but it is known that Russian air defences were active in countering the intrusions.
Huge restrictions have been put in place in the city banning residents filming drone strikes or providing information about armed forces, secret services and national guard facilities, and “critically important” addresses.
The extreme curbs are likely linked to Putin’s presence in the city.
There was damage to seven private houses and the grave of Soviet war pilot Sergey Troepolsky, near Sochi airport.
The Sochi mayor Andrey Proshunin said: “The facades of seven houses and several cars were shredded by shrapnel, and we have already begun to eliminate the consequences [of the attack].”
The Kremlin confirmed Putin was in Sochi on Monday when he took part remotely in a virtual BRICS summit called by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to respond to US tariffs and sanctions.
His ‘Flying Kremlin’ Ilyushin was believed to be at the city’s airport today.
Air raid sirens sounded three separate times over Sochi at night.
The Russian military shot down two drones over the Krasnodar region – where Sochi is located.
Another 15 drones were downed over the Black Sea.
Putin’s plane Il-96-300PU of the Rossiya flight squadron with tail number RA-96024 arrived in Sochi on Monday.
It was on this plane that Putin used to fly to Alaska to meet with Donald Trump.
Putin has stayed away from Sochi during the war apart from brief visits.
He also boasts a sprawling clifftop private palace at Cape Idokopas, Gelendzhik, 96 miles from Sochi.
Gelendzhik came under drone attack in late August, reportedly igniting forest blazes which hundreds of firefighters were deployed to extinguish.