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Number of air defense installations around Putin’s Valdai residence rises to 12, Radio Liberty reports

The Insider

The number of air defense systems installed around Vladimir Putin’s residence in Valdai has risen to 12, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports, citing an analysis of new Yandex satellite images and photographs from the Yandex.Zerkala service. Most appear to be Pantsir systems mounted atop towers.

The location of the air defense systems can be viewed on an interactive map. According to Radio Liberty’s estimates, the entire Moscow region — home to more than 20 million people — has around 60 air defense sites.

In February 2023, Proekt (“The Project”) reported that Russian gymnast Alina Kabaeva, chair of the board of the National Media Group (NMG), was living with Putin at his Valdai residence. In September 2024, The Dossier Center published a detailed account of life there for the couple’s two sons, Ivan and Vladimir, who were 9 and 5 years old at the time.