Vladimir Putin has drastically upgraded his home security.
An additional 16 air defense towers have been built around the perimeter of the Russian dictator’s residence in Valdai, bringing the total to more than 50, according to Radio Liberty.
The media outlet, in collaboration with an open-source intelligence analyst under the X account @jembobineuse, discovered through satellite imagery in October that more than 15 new short-range air defense (SHORAD) towers were constructed within a 50-mile radius of Putin’s home.
The new towers, which likely house Pantsir or Tor anti-aircraft missile systems, according to Radio Liberty, formed an outer ring south of the Russian autocrat’s home—toward the side facing Ukraine.
One of the towers along the outer ring lies on the grounds of the Khotilovo military base, which features a specially constructed railway with a direct line to Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region, the outlet reported.
Several other defense positions along the ring border the shore of the Vyshnevolotsk Reservoir. Two of which are close to Lisy Island, which is home to a laboratory complex supposedly linked to Russia’s biological weapons program.
The Russian military claimed in January that Ukraine had attempted a drone attack on Putin’s compound in Valdai, which Kyiv denied. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency determined Moscow’s accusations to be false.
Alina Kabaeva, Putin’s rumored lover and mother of two of his sons, spends much of her time at the Valdai residence, Radio Liberty reported.
The more than 50 defense towers surrounding Valdai amount to about half of those installed in Moscow and the Moscow region. Approximately 20 million people live in the Moscow region, while only about 100,000 live in Valdai.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is not going as he expected.
Last week, Russian forces sustained their worst day of casualties since the start of the conflict in 2022. At least 2,250 military personnel were killed or seriously injured on the front lines between Oct. 21 and Oct. 22, according to figures shared by Ukraine’s General Staff.
“Ukrainians are doing everything possible to preserve the life of every service member and civilian,” Ukraine’s General Staff posted on its X account on Thursday. “In Russia, however, a soldier is merely a resource—one that is not spared and is simply sent to be destroyed.”
