'Putin's paranoia' — New air defenses appear around Russian president's Valdai residence, analysis shows

Russia has built an additional ring of air defense towers within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence in Valdai, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and OSINT analyst Jembob reported on Oct. 25.

Valdai is a small town in Russia's northwestern Novgorod Oblast. The town had a population of around 13,600 in 2025, according to Russia's Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat).

The defensive perimeter extends to the Khotilovo military base, which serves as an alternate landing site, and a secret biological laboratory on Lisiy Island, according to RFE/RL.

Satellite images indicate that the new perimeter encompasses both the military airfield in Khotilovo and the laboratory complex on Lisiy Island.

By October, air defense systems believed to be Pantsir or Tor units had been positioned south of Putin's residence, within the 50-kilometer (30-mile) zone.

No positions have yet been identified along the northern section of the perimeter, though additional sites could be established in the coming months, the report said.

One of the towers forming the outer defensive line was already in place by March 2026, on the grounds of the Khotilovo military air base. Putin reportedly uses the base regularly. A dedicated railway branch connects it to his Valdai residence, providing a direct train route, according to RFE/RL.

Other air defense sites have been established along the shores of the Vyshny Volochyok Reservoir.

RFE/RL published an investigation into the secret laboratory on the island on Sept. 3, around the same time construction began on two new air defense towers in the area.

The Kremlin accused Ukraine of attacking Putin's residence in Valdai with more than 90 drones on Dec. 29, 2025. Russian officials claimed the drones were carrying 6-kilogram (13-pound) high-explosive warheads, but claimed that air defenses had allegedly intercepted them all, with no casualties or damage reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, calling them a "lie." Kyiv also accused Moscow of fabricating the claims to undermine Ukraine's standing with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration and derail ongoing peace efforts.

In early January 2026, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) informed Trump that Ukraine had not targeted Putin's Valdai residence. U.S. intelligence assessed that Ukrainian forces had struck a military facility in the same region that night, but far from the Russian president's residence.