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RFE/RL: 16 more air defense towers spotted near Putin’s Valdai residence, bringing total to about 50 — nearly half the number in Moscow and its outskirts

Source: RFE/RL

At least 15 new towers appeared in October within a 50-kilometer radius (31 miles) of Vladimir Putin’s residence in Valdai, likely intended to carry Pantsir or Tor surface-to-air missile systems, RFE/RL’s Russian service reported, citing satellite images it examined.

A ring of towers appeared south of the residence, facing Ukraine, according to the journalists. One tower in the “outer ring” was built as early as March 2026 on the grounds of the Khotilovo military base, which is connected to the residence by a dedicated railway line that allows travel by train.

According to an OSINT analyst who posts on X under the handle @jembobineuse, Russia now has about 177 towers equipped with short-range air defense systems. About 98 are in and around Moscow, and about 50 are near the residence in Valdai.

Russian authorities claimed that more than 90 Ukrainian drones attempted to attack Putin’s residence in Valdai in late December 2025. Ukraine denies attempting such an attack. The CIA concluded that the target of the Ukrainian drone attack in the Novgorod region was an unspecified “military facility” not located near Putin’s residence.

The first air defense system near Putin’s residence in Valdai appeared in January 2023, and a second arrived in July 2024. By April 2026, satellite images examined by RFE/RL’s Russian service showed that at least 27 air defense units already ringed the residence.

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