The Russian president uses several replica offices in various residences – and not just to ensure his own security.
November 15, 2025, 8:07 p.mNovember 15, 2025, 8:07 p.m
Finn Michalski / t-online
In the wake of the corona pandemic, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin largely withdrew from the public eye. At the beginning of the Ukraine war, he could sometimes only be seen in video recordings from his office for months. But in previous years, the now 73-year-old had already done a lot to conceal his whereabouts.
Vladimir Putin: The Russian president has been trying to conceal his whereabouts for years.Image: keystone
Now research by the Russian-language investigative project “Sistema” shows what observers and journalists had suspected for years: Putin had almost identical offices set up in at least three of his residences, from which he regularly broadcast speeches and live broadcasts.
According to the analysis, over the years numerous official appointments were staged in places where the Russian president was not actually staying – but he did everything to give the impression that he was near the Kremlin at his main residence in Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow.
For their investigation, Sistema reporters compared more than 700 official Kremlin publications about alleged meetings and appearances in the presidential office. They analyzed the interior using photos and video recordings and were able to detect numerous inconsistencies. In addition, travel data and leaked emails from state media employees and Putin’s entourage were evaluated.
Three identical study rooms
The result can be summarized as follows: Putin has three almost identically designed offices – one in Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow, a second in Sochi, and a third in Valdai, several hundred kilometers north of the capital. Putin’s family residence is located there.
The President’s office at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo.Image: keystone
According to “Sistema”, the aim is, on the one hand, to increase his personal security, but on the other hand, to maintain the image of a head of state who is always present. Particularly in times of crisis, the aim was to create the impression that Putin was permanently in the center of power near the Kremlin.
Putin’s beige office
The first office is on the grounds of the official presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, west of Moscow. After Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012, a new building was built there, which houses the so-called beige office.
The room is simply furnished: light tones, clear lines, hardly any decoration. Personal items are completely missing. Experts assume that the reduced design was specifically developed for television images. Putin should always be portrayed as the resting center of power.
Doppelganger office in Sochi
From around 2018, images allegedly taken in Novo-Ogaryovo increasingly appeared in Kremlin publications. But closer analysis revealed that many of these recordings came from a second, almost identically furnished office in Sochi. The building is located on the grounds of the Bokharov Slidej presidential residence and was originally designed as a press center for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
A replica of the beige office was later built there.Image: keystone
Details such as slightly offset door handles, different ventilation grilles or the position of wall joints helped “Sistema” expose the fake. Travel data and hotel bookings of state journalists and technicians also prove that many supposed appointments near Moscow actually took place on the Black Sea coast, according to “Sistema”.
Putin’s fortress in the forest
According to Sistema’s analysis, the third office is located in Valdai, a forested region between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. It is currently considered Putin’s preferred retreat – and a particularly secure location. According to research, the area surrounding the residence there is protected with at least 14 anti-aircraft defense positions – a security standard that is usually reserved for military facilities.
The Valdai office was frequently used, particularly before and immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Putin appeared to stay there for extended periods. Official meetings and video conferences that supposedly took place in Novo-Ogaryovo during this time actually took place in Valdai, according to “Sistema”. The replica of the beige office there only differs from the other versions in small details.
You might also be interested in these articles: