Anti-drone netting has appeared over truck parking areas near the M-10 highway in the Valdai region, located just nine kilometers from Vladimir Putin’s residence, according to reports published on June 7.
Anti-Drone Measures Near Valdai
Journalist Oleg Kashin shared photographs on his Telegram channel on June 7, indicating that the images were provided by readers. Analysis by the independent Russian service Agentstvo confirmed the site is approximately nine kilometers from Putin’s Valdai residence.
Military analysts consulted by the service stated that such netting is typically used at the front lines to protect against small drones or munitions dropped from the air.
Security Against Truck-Borne Threats
Ruslan Leviev, founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), suggested a different function for the structures. He argued the nets are not intended to protect the trucks from drones, but rather to prevent the use of trucks as launch platforms for drone attacks.
Leviev referenced the Ukrainian operation “Spider Web” from June of last year, where rented trucks were used to transport 117 FPV drones near strategic Russian airbases. Once the vehicles reached their targets, the roofs opened, allowing the drones to launch and strike.
Expanded Defensive Infrastructure
In April, Radio Liberty, citing findings from the Systema research project, reported that seven new towers equipped with Pantsir air defense systems were constructed around the Valdai residence in March.
The Pantsir is a short-to-medium-range mobile system combining surface-to-air missiles with automatic cannons. These additions have brought the total number of such installations at the residence to 27.
