In September 2026, an investigation by the BBC's Russian service, published with reference to satellite imagery and discovered job advertisements for construction crews, confirmed large-scale construction of a new residence for Vladimir Putin in Sochi's 'Bocharov Ruchey'. According to the publication, the work is being carried out under a state defence contract of the Federal Protective Service (FSO), and the total cost of individual contracts, judging by the posted vacancies, ranges from 90 to 500 million rubles — more than a billion in aggregate. On the satellite images examined by the journalists, by autumn 2026 the roofs of new buildings were already visible, occupying a noticeably larger area than the previous complex.
What was demolished and what was preserved
In 2024, work began on the demolition of old buildings on the territory of 'Bocharov Ruchey' — the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation in Sochi. The authorities did not publicly announce either the fact of the demolition or its reasons. However, as the BBC found out, not everything was torn down: at the southern boundary of the residence, the 'Bocharov Ruchey-2' building, constructed for the 2014 Olympics, was preserved. It is in this building, according to available data, that Putin receives high-ranking guests — including the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi. In place of the demolished complexes, by contrast, the construction of new buildings is in full swing.
A classified construction project and recruitment through advertisements
The BBC discovered a series of job advertisements for workers on the site. In some of them, 'Bocharov Ruchey' was named directly; in others, the connection to presidential construction was betrayed by specific conditions: a two-storey building 'on a restricted-access territory via a pass' with piece-rate cash payment, a four-storey structure at a facility with access control and passport checks. Initially, the requirements for candidates matched the high status of the construction, but over time they were relaxed — employers began accepting citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In addition to the salary, accommodation was offered 'in a hostel with a pool' or in an apartment. By autumn 2025, judging by the text of a vacancy for concrete workers, the construction was in full swing: 'The structure is not heavy. First we finish two floors, then a building from scratch, technical supervision is not strict,' the employers promised, emphasising that payment is made 'in cash'. Recruiters added: 'The security services of the Russian Federation and internal controls monitor the flow of funds, so everything is honest and transparent.'
A change in the nature of the vacancies in 2026
By 2026, the nature of the posted advertisements had changed: now the site was looking for specialists for interior work — installing lighting fixtures, plumbing and doors. This indirectly indicates that the main monolithic and roofing structures have already been erected, and the construction is entering its final stage. The publication was unable to find the project of the new complex in open sources; satellite images show several large buildings under construction, however, it is impossible to determine their exact purpose and number of storeys from the images alone.
A contractor 'from orbit' and the state defence contract
The publication found a construction contract, the number of which belongs to agreements under the FSO's state defence order. According to the investigation, the contractor was chosen from a circle close to one of Putin's innermost entourages. Specific names and legal entities are not disclosed in open sources, which is typical for facilities within the defence perimeter. The total cost of the new complex is not officially disclosed, however, the volumes of individual contracts recorded in the advertisements allow the scale of the work to be assessed.
Contradictory data
Although the fact of the demolition and new construction is confirmed by satellite imagery and the discovered vacancies, a number of details remain inconsistent. On the one hand, the 2025 advertisements spoke of a 'light structure' and 'non-strict technical supervision', which contradicts the standard requirements for FSO state defence order facilities, where control is usually strict. On the other hand, satellite images record the construction of several large buildings, however, the journalists were unable to determine their number of storeys and functional purpose — some vacancies mention a two-storey building, others a four-storey one. Moreover, the exact total cost of the complex is not confirmed by any official source; the figure of 'over a billion rubles' is derived exclusively from summing the budgets of individual contracts in the advertisements, which may not reflect the full costs of infrastructure and site development.
Context: why Putin is rarely in Sochi
Despite the large-scale work, the head of the Russian Federation himself is in Sochi less and less because of the threat from Ukrainian drones. Financial Times calculated: by 2022, Putin had visited Sochi 24 times, in 2022 — 13 times, and in 2024 and 2025 — only twice each. Previously, RBC-Ukraine noted that after resuming regional visits, Putin stopped travelling to the European part of the Russian Federation, where Ukrainian drones regularly reach. At the same time, according to available estimates, the Russian leadership plans to continue the military operation against Ukraine for at least three more years and is actively seeking funds to cover growing expenses — including the maintenance and modernisation of presidential infrastructure facilities.
