Air Defenses Being Installed Near Putin's Sochi Home, Oppositionists Claim

• A Russian opposition media group posted a video allegedly showing a Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system placed near Russian President Vladimir Putin's vacation residence in Krasnaya Polyana.
• Reports of Pantsir systems and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems being installed near strategic sites in Russia have been circulating since January.
• According to an associate of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Putin has placed air defense systems near his residences out of fear of a potential missile attack.
• The Kremlin has previously declined to confirm the presence of missile defense systems at strategic sites in Russia.

An air defense system has been spotted near one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's residences, according to a video posted by a Russian opposition media group on Monday.

Navalny Live posted the video to its YouTube Channel of a Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system reportedly being installed near Putin's vacation residence in Krasnaya Polyana, a suburb of Sochi, Russia. Navalny Live is run by a team associated with Alexei Navalny, the well-known Russian opposition leader who has been incarcerated in Russia since February 2021 on charges ranging from embezzlement to contempt of court. The video that allegedly shows the Pantsir near the Krasnaya Polyana site has not been verified by Newsweek.

In January, pictures and videos began circulating on social media of what people said showed Pantsir-S1 air defense systems installed on the rooftops of several Moscow buildings. Those reports came after explosions hit two Russian air bases in December, which Kremlin officials later blamed on Ukrainian drone strikes. However, Ukraine has not claimed credit for any attacks within Russia's borders.

A week after the first reports of Pantsir systems in Moscow, Agentstvo—an independent, Russian investigative site—posted a message to its Telegram channel that said a Pantsir was placed near a home owned by Putin in the Novgorod region of Russia.

Georgy Alburov of the Navalny Team explains in the YouTube video that the Krasnaya Polyana residence technically belongs to Gazprom, the Kremlin-run energy corporation, but that Putin uses the palatial house as a vacation home.

Alburov also said that while Putin portrays himself as a courageous leader, he is in reality a "paranoid" person who only drinks from his own glass out of fear of poisoning. Due to this paranoia, according to Alburov, the Russian leader has stationed air defense systems near his residences to protect himself from a possible missile attack.

Pantsir defense systems incorporate anti-aircraft guns and missiles to intercept missiles at a range of 7 kilometers and tactical aircraft at up to 20 kilometers. Along with alleged evidence of Pantsir systems being outfitted on Moscow rooftops, S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems have also reportedly been sighted in various places throughout Russia. These systems are capable of hitting aerial targets at ranges of up to 250 kilometers and intercepting ballistic missiles from a distance of up to 60 kilometers.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in January declined to confirm that missile defense systems have been placed near strategic sites in the country. When further questioned about sightings of defense systems by reporters, Peskov referred such queries to Russia's defense ministry.

Guy McCardle, managing editor of Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP), told Newsweek on Monday that the report from Navalny Live seems credible.

"There's no way he does not have both defensive and offensive capabilities near his many residences or anywhere he will be spending a substantial period of time," McCardle said. "Chances are he'd hide the ones around his homes as discreetly as possible so as not to appear paranoid, but they are there."

McCardle compared the presence of such anti-aircraft systems near Putin's homes to air defenses around the White House that most people don't know exist.

"They are there to protect him and his family," he said.

As for the capability of Pantsir systems, McCardle called them "highly effective units."

"As a part of a coordinated air defense system, I think these would be extremely effective at knocking drones, missiles, helicopters and even fighter jets out of the sky," he said. "The Putins can definitely sleep more soundly with a couple of these parked around their property."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.