Air Defenses Drastically Expand Around Putin Residence Where Rumored Girlfriend, Sons Live

Various media reports in Europe as well as US state-funded publications have observed and reported on an unusually high number of air defense systems around President Vladimir Putin’s secluded Valdai residence.

RFE/RL affiliate Radio Svoboda has claimed that’s were Putin’s girlfriend and their children live, according to a new investigation. “Satellite images and photos from the Yandex.Zerkala mapping service show at least 12 Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile systems, many mounted on elevated towers, encircling the compound known as Uzhin,” the Amsterdam-based Moscow Times writes of the report.

Illustrative: Pantsir systems, via Sputnik 

Only two such units had been publicly and visually identified in the area before the new satellite imaging and mapping analysis. 

“By comparison, in the Moscow metropolitan region, home to more than 20 million people, authorities have positioned around 60 such systems since the start of the war in Ukraine — just five times more than the number protecting the Valdai site,” Moscow Times continues.

So if it is accurate that at least a dozen Pantsirs are now protecting Putin’s residence alone, this is indeed a signifcant build-up and density of anti-air units protecting a single high value location.

The ‘extra’ units were reportedly redeployed from the St. Petersburg region – which could leave this northern and second most populous Russian city more exposed to drone attacks.

The Kremlin has long vehemenly denied that Putin is having a relationship with 42-year old Alina Kabaeva, and the Russian leader has been well-known for keeping his private life and family extremly secretive and sheilded from any media scrutiny.

Alina Kabaeva, pictured with Vladimir Putin. source: Kremlin.ru

“The investigative outlet Dossier Center has reported that the residence is used by Alina Kabaeva, the former Olympic gymnast who leads the National Media Group and is widely reported to be Putin’s long-term partner,” Moscow Times notes. It’s believed she spends much of the year at the Valdai residence with her two young sons.

“In February 2023, the investigative site Proekt reported that a dedicated home for Kabaeva had been built next to the Valdai residence, complete with its own private railway spur,” the same report says.

Various outlets have circulated the believed locations of the expanded air defense ring around Valdaii.

Putin is due in Alaska Friday, where he’ll be meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss the Ukraine war as well as bilateral US-Russia relations.

Pro-Ukraine pundits have asserted all of this points to Putin’s increased ‘paranoia’ in the face of now nightly and weekly large waves of drone attacks on sensitive Russian sites out of Ukraine.

Meduza: There are now 12 air defense systems near Putin’s residence in Valdai. Up from just 2 a year ago.

Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries and other high-value targets are so effective because Russia’s air defenses are too busy protecting an increasingly paranoid Putin. https://t.co/jsYGHrZsrT

— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) August 13, 2025

CNN and others are identifying that the host venue will be Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a combined US Air Force and Army installation in Anchorage.

Alternative and civilian sites were looked at, but peak tourist season in Alaska reporteldy left few last-minute options. The Alaska summit was only unveiled and confirmed less than a week ago.