Russian President Vladimir Putin has relocated this year’s Valdai Discussion Club foreign policy conference from the Black Sea resort city of Sochi to Moscow, citing security concerns linked to Ukraine’s intensified drone attacks, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision.
The Valdai Club, a major four-day forum scheduled for late September and early October, typically serves as a platform for Kremlin foreign policy discourse. Originally planned to take place in Sochi—a favored presidential retreat on Russia's southern coast—invited attendees were informed last month of the venue change. Sources indicated the move was prompted by the Russian president’s security service amid fears that Putin could be vulnerable to Ukraine’s medium- and long-range drone capabilities.
Over the summer, Ukraine has conducted several drone strikes targeting infrastructure near Sochi and other Black Sea resort areas, resulting in at least 19 fatalities and nearly 190 injuries since May, according to Russian media reports. One recent attack near Sochi’s international airport forced the suspension of flights and produced significant smoke plumes over the city. These operations are part of Ukraine’s broader strategy to strike energy and logistics facilities deep within Russian territory, reaching locations as distant as Novy Urengoy above the Arctic Circle, more than 3,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Putin has notably reduced his visits to Sochi since last year’s Valdai conference, making only a handful of trips compared to 24 visits in 2021, the year preceding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This reduction coincides with a pattern of the president spending most of his time in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and his residence near Lake Valdai in northern Russia—a location also reportedly targeted by Ukrainian drones late last year, though Moscow did not provide evidence for the claim.
The Valdai Club’s official announcement of this year’s event did not mention the venue change. The forum’s agenda includes discussions on the predictability and manageability of international affairs amid growing global institutional crises. Attendees will hear from key Russian officials such as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Energy Minister Alexander Novak, and Presidential Economic Adviser Maxim Oreshkin. Putin traditionally participates in an extended question-and-answer session on the forum’s final day.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and the Valdai Club did not respond to requests for comment regarding the relocation or the security concerns prompting it.
The venue shift underscores mounting Kremlin concerns over the expanding reach of Ukraine’s drone strikes, which have escalated as the conflict between the two countries enters its fifth year. Ahead of Russia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday, Putin has increased travel east of the Ural Mountains while avoiding cities in European Russia that fall within Ukrainian drone range.