Overview
- RFE/RL’s Sistema unit reports that Putin has been filmed in near-identical offices at Novo-Ogaryovo, Valdai and Sochi to keep a uniform setting while obscuring his whereabouts.
- Investigators examined more than 700 Kremlin videos and used micro clues such as thermostat styles, door-handle heights and wall seams to pinpoint locations.
- Leaked state TV crew itineraries recorded trips to Valdai and Sochi on days official captions placed Putin near Moscow, aligning with the video analysis.
- The report outlines a staged rollout of replicas: the original room documented around 2015, a Valdai copy by 2018 and a Sochi version by 2020.
- Researchers and cited analysts say Putin has favored the fortified Valdai complex since 2022 for security, with satellite imagery indicating expanded air defenses in 2024 and aides at times using pre-recorded footage to obscure dates and locations.