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Probe Finds Putin Mostly Appearing From Valdai Replica, Not Novo-Ogaryovo

Researchers say the lookalike sets let the Kremlin mask his location to lower strike risk.

Overview

  • Sistema’s analysis of roughly 700 videos concludes that, since early 2025, most meetings labeled as from Novo-Ogaryovo were recorded in a near-identical office at Valdai.
  • Investigators pinpointed locations using small visual discrepancies such as wall panel heights, door-handle placement, light-switch positions, and differing desk letter trays.
  • Leaked emails cited by the report indicate state TV crews were dispatched to sites like Sochi even when broadcasts claimed the setting was Novo-Ogaryovo.
  • The report says Putin visited the real Novo-Ogaryovo office only once this year for a meeting with parliamentary faction leaders and a recorded message for the Intervision contest.
  • Experts quoted by the investigation argue Valdai is preferred for security because it is farther from Ukraine and easier to protect with systems such as Pantsir-M, with one analyst likening the secrecy to Saddam Hussein’s methods.