On December 29, Russia announced that it had repelled a massive attack by 91 Ukrainian drones against President Vladimir Putin's residence "Long Beards" in the Valdai National Park in the Novgorod region, also known as "Uzhin" or "Object 201".
According to official Kremlin data, air defense systems destroyed all targets without causing damage or casualties, although Ukraine officially denied carrying out such an attack.
What is known about the residence?
Its construction began in 1934 as a place for the then leader of the USSR, Joseph Stalin.
The construction was completed in 1939, with Stalin visiting the site only once that year, as he disliked its remoteness. In 1940, three buildings ("Dacha No. 1-3") were built on the shores of Lake Uzhin.
For most of the Soviet era, the complex functioned as a sanatorium of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Other Soviet leaders stayed here, including Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolai Ryzhkov. In August 1948, Andrei Zhdanov died here while on vacation.
The first Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, also used the residence for rest and fishing after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Since 2000, the complex has been officially recognized as the suburban residence of the President of Russia. In the period 2007-2010, the dachas were reconstructed, preserving their historical appearance, and a congress center was built. Events of the Valdai International Discussion Club are held in the main building.
Although the official residence of Vladimir Putin is the Kremlin, investigations claim that the president spends a significant amount of time in "Dolgiy Borodi". It is reported that secret railway lines and stations have been built to access the residence and other of his properties.
The security of the "Dolgiy Borodi" residence has been significantly strengthened over the past two years, making it one of the best-protected sites in Russia.
In 2025, the residence's defenses include a large-scale network of air defense systems with 12 “Pantsir-S1“ systems. As of August 2025, at least 12 positions of these systems have been identified around the complex, most of which are mounted on specially built tall towers for better range against drones and low-flying targets. This is a six-fold increase compared to the beginning of 2023.
The area also houses long-range S-400 systems (up to 11 launchers according to some reports) to protect against ballistic and cruise missiles.
Early warning radars have been installed that monitor the airspace within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.
The facility is guarded by the Federal Security Service. Elite units, including specialized anti-sabotage units, are stationed on the territory.
The residence is located on a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides and is separated from the rest of the Valdai National Park by high fences and sensors. Access to the surrounding national park has been severely restricted for citizens since 2023 under the pretext of a “worsened ecological situation“.
A special railway line and a protected station have been built near the residence so that the president can travel by armored train, avoiding tracking.
Residents of the city of Valdai say that when Putin comes here by train, he also uses a helicopter to travel the short distance from the station to the residence.
Journalists claim that Alina Kabaeva's children from Putin live in Valdai - a terem has been specially built next to the presidential residence - a small wooden terem, babel.ua writes.
The construction of the building for Kabaeva, who is said to be close to the leader's heart, began in 2020. Approximately the same distance from Kabaeva and Putin's house, a huge spa complex with a solarium, a cryochamber, 25-meter swimming pool, hammam, sauna, mud room, massage baths, cosmetic and dental areas.
In 2021, a pier was built near Kabaeva's house, from where a boat through a small canal leads to the classic palace park, which is located on an area of 28 hectares.
The constant presence of children in the residence is confirmed by the interlocutor of "Project", who is familiar with the work of the facility in Valdai. In particular, in the summer of 2020 and 2021, a small go-kart track was organized on the site of the former helipads. And next to the residence in the forest between 2016 and 2020, a large playground in yellow and blue colors was built.