Satellite images place more than 15 possible tower locations south of Putin’s Valdai residence, according to RFE/RL’s Russian Service and open-source analyst @jembobineuse.
RFE/RL placed the possible sites within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of the residence and said they might host Pantsir or Tor air-defense systems. In a Sunday post on X, @jembobineuse wrote, “the towers are not yet confirmed!” RFE/RL cited no official Russian confirmation of the possible structures or weapons.
The count of possible new sites is separate from the broader Valdai tally: RFE/RL counted more than 50 air-defense positions around the area, while the analyst estimated 49 or 50 towers. One account counts positions and the other towers, so the sources do not establish that the figures cover matching sets.
RFE/RL’s map places outer locations near Khotilovo military base, the Vyshny Volochyok Reservoir and Lisiy Island. The outlet said satellite imagery showed a tower at Khotilovo by March 2026. It also reported that Putin regularly uses the base and a dedicated railway link connects it with his Valdai residence.
RFE/RL’s Sunday report dates the latest construction to October, while @jembobineuse’s X post placed it in September. RFE/RL had not identified positions on the northern side of the perimeter, though its report said more could be built there in coming months. RFE/RL did not identify who ordered the work or give a reason for the added sites.
For comparison, RFE/RL said its post-invasion count for Moscow and the surrounding region was about twice its Valdai total. The population figures show the different scales of the areas being compared: the outlet estimated fewer than 100,000 residents across Valdai, its district and a zone extending 50 kilometers from Putin’s residence. Its figure for Moscow and the surrounding region was more than 20 million.
