Anti-drone nets installed near Putin's residence in Valdai

Security measures around Russian President Vladimir Putin have intensified with the installation of anti-drone nets over truck parking areas on a highway in the Valdai district of the Novgorod region. This strategic location is in close proximity to one of the Kremlin leader's most heavily secured residences.

Photographs of the new defensive structures were shared by journalist Oleg Kashin. An analysis by the independent publication Agentstvo indicates the nets are situated on a highway about 9 kilometers from Putin's official residence. While military analysts note that such nets are typically used on the front lines to protect military equipment from light kamikaze drones, the reasons behind their deployment within Russia could be different.

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The wire networks do not have the role of protecting trucks, but, on the contrary, of protecting the area from heavy-tonnage vehicles.

Ruslan Leviev, founder of the investigative project Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), offers an alternative perspective. He suggests the wire nets are not intended to protect trucks but rather to prevent large vehicles from being used as launch platforms. This hypothesis is based on a Ukrainian tactic known as 'Spider Web,' where attack drones were camouflaged inside freight trucks. As these trucks approached Russian military airfields, the trailer ceilings would open, allowing drones to launch directly from the road.

The presence of these nets near Valdai could physically obstruct such a vertical launch attempt in the immediate vicinity of the presidential residence. This development occurs against a backdrop of increased public appearances by Putin, which some analysts interpret as an effort to counter declining popularity, despite his movements remaining geographically restricted.

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In that tactic, the Ukrainian defense forces camouflaged attack drones inside freight trucks. As the vehicles approached Russian military airfields, the trailer ceilings opened automatically, allowing the aircraft to be launched directly from the road.