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Putin Reportedly Hides in Cloned Secret Offices to Evade Ukrainian Drone Strikes

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Ivan Khomenko
News Writer
Russian leader Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting of the Presidential Council on Demographic and Family Policy in Moscow on October 23, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting of the Presidential Council on Demographic and Family Policy in Moscow on October 23, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has reportedly operated from at least three near-identical offices across Russia to obscure his true location, especially since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The findings were published on November 12 by the investigative outlet Sistema in collaboration with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Current Time.

According to the report, Putin’s offices—nicknamed “beige rooms” due to their identical minimalist interiors—have been built in Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow, in Sochi, and in the heavily guarded Valdai residence.

A collage of Vladimir Putin’s meetings in nearly identical offices across different residences, as analyzed by the investigative project Sistema. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)
A collage of Vladimir Putin’s meetings in nearly identical offices across different residences, as analyzed by the investigative project Sistema. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)

All three rooms replicate the same layout, furniture, wall paneling, and even small decorative details like door handles and folders. Despite official Kremlin statements often attributing meetings to Novo-Ogaryovo, Sistema found that many were recorded elsewhere, especially in Valdai.

Investigators analyzed years of Kremlin media footage, procurement documents, and leaked travel data to track where Putin was actually located.

One key method involved identifying tiny differences between the office replicas—such as the height of door handles or the placement of wall seams. Using this method, Sistema concluded that 29 of Putin’s 30 public appearances from January to September 2025 were filmed in the Valdai replica, not in Moscow.

Comparison of Putin’s offices in Novo‑Ogaryovo, Sochi, and Valdai, showing differences in wall panel alignment behind the Russian coat of arms. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)
Comparison of Putin’s offices in Novo‑Ogaryovo, Sochi, and Valdai, showing differences in wall panel alignment behind the Russian coat of arms. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)
Thermostat placement varies across Putin’s replicated offices in Novo‑Ogaryovo, Sochi, and Valdai, used by investigators to identify each location. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)
Thermostat placement varies across Putin’s replicated offices in Novo‑Ogaryovo, Sochi, and Valdai, used by investigators to identify each location. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)

Valdai is reportedly surrounded by 14 air defense positions, including 13 Pantsir missile systems, making it one of Russia’s most fortified sites. Political analyst Konstantin Gaaze noted that Putin shifted his operations there because it’s easier to conceal security infrastructure deep in the forest than in urban areas like Moscow.

The use of such decoy offices intensified after 2014 and accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the Kremlin claimed that Putin remained isolated in Novo-Ogaryovo, while evidence suggests he operated primarily from Sochi or Valdai.

Strict quarantine measures for anyone meeting the president also reinforced the preference for remote, controlled environments.

Door handle alignment differs slightly between Putin’s offices in Novo‑Ogaryovo, Sochi, and Valdai, revealing separate recording sites. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)
Door handle alignment differs slightly between Putin’s offices in Novo‑Ogaryovo, Sochi, and Valdai, revealing separate recording sites. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)
Putin sits at three nearly identical desks in Novo‑Ogaryovo, Sochi, and Valdai; minor details like the desk ornament helped investigators distinguish each office. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)
Putin sits at three nearly identical desks in Novo‑Ogaryovo, Sochi, and Valdai; minor details like the desk ornament helped investigators distinguish each office. (Source: Sistema/RFE RL)

In late 2025, Putin made rare returns to Sochi and Novo-Ogaryovo. He appeared in official footage from these locations in September and October, including during a BRICS  summit and a Security Council meeting. Still, according to Sistema, Valdai remains his most frequently used location and continues to serve as the core of presidential activity.

The investigation concludes that the Kremlin’s use of cloned offices and false location reporting has become an institutionalized practice. This system, Sistema argues, now shapes state logistics and protocol around maintaining the personal security and psychological comfort of the Russian leader.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Vladimir Putin may launch an attack on NATO even before the war in Ukraine ends. Citing a strategic deadlock, Zelenskyy said Russia’s failures could drive it to open a new front in Europe, describing recent drone and jet incursions into NATO airspace as part of a broader “hybrid war” to test the alliance’s resolve.

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