---
title: "\"Valdai\" Moved Out of Sochi at the Last Minute: FSB Insisted on Relocating the Meeting with Putin to the Moscow Region Due to Drones"
description: "The meeting of the \"Valdai\" Discussion Club featuring Putin was relocated at the last minute from Sochi to the Moscow region at the insistence of the FSB due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. There is no official Kremlin comment."
date: 2026-09-15T11:34:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/valdai-moved-out-of-sochi-to-moscow-region-due-to-drones
tags: [valdai-club, vladimir-putin, sochi, drones, russia-ukraine-war]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "Valdai" Moved Out of Sochi at the Last Minute: FSB Insisted on Relocating the Meeting with Putin to the Moscow Region Due to Drones

![Vladimir Putin in his office: FSB insisted on moving the Valday Club meeting from Sochi to the Moscow suburbs due to drone threats](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/15/valdai-perenesli-iz-sochi-v-podmoskovye-iz-za-dronov/valdai-perenesli-iz-sochi-v-podmoskovye-iz-za-dronov-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The "Valdai" club meeting featuring Putin was relocated at the last minute from Sochi to the Moscow region at the insistence of the FSB due to the drone threat.
- Four sources confirmed the link between the relocation and the increasing attacks by Ukrainian drones; there is no official Kremlin comment.
- Strikes on Sochi intensified in the summer; on the night of September 10 the city came under a massive attack by drones and boats, and Bulanova's concert was stopped.
- There are discrepancies in the sources: the new location is described as either the Moscow region or Moscow, and some publications speak of an "attack on Valdai."

On the eve of a key foreign-policy event — the meeting of the international "Valdai" Discussion Club — the venue was changed at the last minute. According to the outlet, the forum featuring Vladimir Putin, which was supposed to take place in Sochi, was urgently relocated to the Moscow region. Sources claim the decision was made at the insistence of the FSB against the backdrop of increasing attacks by Ukrainian drones on the territory of Krasnodar Krai. The Kremlin has not issued an official comment on the reasons for the change of location.

### Last-Minute Relocation

Four sources familiar with the circumstances confirmed that the change of venue was linked to "security concerns in the context of increasing attacks by Ukrainian drones." According to them, it was the FSB that insisted the "key foreign-policy meeting" not be held in Sochi. Notably, the Kremlin has not publicly explained the reason for the move: no official statements on the causes of the change of location for the event involving Putin have been issued, which in itself heightens attention to the logistics and the level of threat that Russian authorities consider sufficient to cancel the format in the southern resort city.

### Context: Sochi Under Attack

The relocation comes against a backdrop of a sustained pattern of strikes on Sochi, which intensified this summer and continue in September. According to available data, Ukrainian forces are attacking the port waters with unmanned boats, while aerial drones are striking objects along the embankment. On the night of September 10, the city came under a massive attack by drones and unmanned boats, resulting in a fire on the embankment. That same evening, a performance by Russian singer Tatyana Bulanova, who has openly supported Russia's war against Ukraine since 2022, was taking place there; due to the drone attack, her concert was cut short. It is separately noted that Putin has not visited Sochi since last year, when the previous "Valdai" meeting was held there, whereas before the full-scale war he had been there far more often — for example, in 2021 he visited the city 24 times.

### Contradictory Data

The versions from different sources contain discrepancies that are important to note. First, the exact new location is described differently: some materials point to a relocation to the Moscow region (the Moscow suburbs), while others reduce this to a move "to Moscow." Second, a number of publications frame the situation through the lens of an already-occurred "attack on Valdai" and a subsequent "military response" by the Kremlin, whereas the basic version amounts to a preventive relocation due to risk, rather than a strike directly on the forum venue. Finally, none of the versions is backed by official confirmation from the Kremlin, so the details (the specific settlement in the Moscow region, the role of the FSB, the presence or absence of a strike on the venue) remain at the level of source reporting.

### Reaction and Consequences

The last-minute change of venue has become an indicator of how the threat of drone attacks affects the holding of even high-profile foreign-policy events in Russia. For Sochi, this is yet another episode recording that the resort city, traditionally used for meetings of this level, has effectively dropped out of the usual logistics due to the military burden. The absence of an official Kremlin comment and the discrepancies in describing the new location leave room for further verification: as statements from the authorities and clarifications from the organizers of "Valdai" emerge, the picture may be supplemented.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Meeting of "Valdai" in Sochi with Putin's participation canceled at the last minute due to drones, - FT](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zasidannya-valdayu-sochi-uchastyu-putina-1789471255.html) - Подтверждает перенос/отмену в Сочи в последний момент из-за дронов со ссылкой на FT.
- [Putin moves "Valdai" forum from Sochi to Moscow](https://vesti.az/v-mire/putin-perenes-forum-valdai-iz-soci-v-moskvu-615215) - Подтверждает перенос, но указывает новую локацию как «Москва», а не Подмосковье.
- [Financial Times: Valdai club meeting moved from Sochi to the Moscow region due to the threat of ...](https://meduza.io/news/2026/09/15/financial-times-zasedanie-valdayskogo-kluba-perenesli-iz-sochi-v-moskovskuyu-oblast-iz-za-ugrozy-ukrainskih-udarov) - Указывает перенос в Московскую область из-за угрозы украинских ударов (FT).
- [Military response to the "attack on Valdai": what is the Kremlin's first reaction to the "AFU drones"](https://focus.ua/voennye-novosti/738679-ataka-na-valday-iniciirovala-novye-voennye-ugrozy-rf-detali) - Подаёт ситуацию как «атаку на Валдай» и военный ответ Кремля; не совпадает с версией превентивного переноса.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why was the "Valdai" meeting moved out of Sochi?
**A:** According to sources, the relocation to the Moscow region was made at the last minute at the insistence of the FSB due to security concerns in the context of increasing attacks by Ukrainian drones. There is no official Kremlin comment on the reasons.

### Q: What happened in Sochi on the night of September 10?
**A:** The city came under a massive attack by drones and unmanned boats, and a fire broke out on the embankment. That same evening, the concert of singer Tatyana Bulanova was cut short due to the attack.

### Q: Where exactly is "Valdai" being held now?
**A:** In the sources, the new location is described differently: as the Moscow region (the Moscow suburbs) or as Moscow. There is no official clarification from the organizers in the provided materials.