Putin Moves Foreign Policy Forum to Moscow Over Ukrainian Drone Threat

President Vladimir Putin has moved his flagship foreign policy conference from Sochi to Moscow after security officials raised concerns over Ukraine’s expanding campaign of long-range drone strikes, according to four people familiar with the decision.

The late change affects this year’s four-day Valdai Discussion Club meeting, scheduled for late September and early October.

Guests were initially invited to Sochi before being told last month that the event would instead take place outside Moscow.

Two people told the Financial Times that Putin’s presidential security service insisted on the relocation.

Sochi Comes Under Pressure

The decision follows a series of Ukrainian attacks around Sochi and other Black Sea resorts during the summer.

Strikes on oil refineries in the region have coincided with at least 19 deaths and 188 injuries since the tourist season began in May, according to Russian news site Agentstvo.

A refinery near Sochi’s international airport was hit last Friday, grounding flights as black smoke rose over the city.

The attacks have sharpened concerns over the reach of Ukrainian drones more than four years into Russia’s war.

Putin Cuts Back Sochi Visits

Putin has already reduced his presence in Sochi substantially.

He has not visited the resort since last year’s Valdai conference in early October and traveled there only twice in each of the previous two years.

That compares with 24 visits in 2021, the final year before he ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This year, Putin has spent most of his time in Moscow, St Petersburg and his Lake Valdai residence in northern Russia.

Russia accused Ukraine of targeting the Valdai residence late last year but offered no evidence.

Drone Reach Expands

The relocation suggests the Kremlin is increasingly treating Ukraine’s medium- and long-range drones as a direct security concern for Putin.

Using largely domestically developed systems, Kyiv has hit energy and logistics infrastructure deep inside Russia.

Targets have included Novy Urengoy, more than 3,000km from Ukraine and just south of the Arctic Circle.

Ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday, Putin has increased foreign travel and made several trips east of the Urals while largely avoiding cities in European Russia that are within range of Ukrainian drones.

Kremlin Showcase Moves North

The Valdai Club announced this year’s meeting on Monday without referring to the venue change.

The forum is one of the Kremlin’s principal foreign policy showcases and this year will examine “how manageable and predictable international affairs can be against the backdrop of the crisis facing multilateral institutions.”

Senior participants are expected to include Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, energy official Alexander Novak and Putin’s economic adviser Maxim Oreshkin.

Putin traditionally appears on the final day for an extended question-and-answer session.