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Photos released by Vladimir Putin’s press service appeared to show Windows XP on computers in his Kremlin office and at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence, according to a Guardian report published on 17 December 2019. The identification was attributed to a Russian internet-rights expert; the photographs do not establish what software Putin’s computers run today or whether the pictured machines were compromised.
What the photographs appeared to show
The Guardian reported that images released by Putin’s press service appeared to show Windows XP on computers at two locations: Putin’s Kremlin office and his Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow. The report also noted that both desktops displayed Kremlin-tower backgrounds. The Guardian’s 17 December 2019 report is the basis for the widely repeated claim.
The operating-system identification was attributed to Open Media, which said Mikhail Klimaryov, head of Russia’s Internet Protection Society, had confirmed that the computers in the photographs were running XP. This is a reported identification, not a published forensic examination of the devices.
Does Putin still use Windows XP?
The available reporting establishes only what the 2019 images appeared to show. It does not establish the computers’ current software in 2026, whether the devices are still in use, what they were used for, whether they were network-connected, or whether they held sensitive information. A desktop image alone cannot answer those questions.
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A separate Wikimedia Commons record documents a different Kremlin-sourced photograph of Putin taken on 29 August 2010 and credits the Russian Presidential Press and Information Office. That record concerns another image, not the 2019 desktop photographs. The Commons file record should not be treated as evidence about the computers.
Why Windows XP’s support status matters
Microsoft lists 8 April 2014 as the date Windows XP extended support ended. By the time of the Guardian report, the operating system had been out of support for about five years. Microsoft’s lifecycle page states, “Support for this product has ended.” Microsoft’s Windows XP lifecycle listing provides the official date.
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- Windows XP Professional: Robust operating system for business or personal use
Microsoft says unsupported Windows versions no longer receive its security updates. That is a general consequence of ended support, not proof that any particular machine is vulnerable in a specific way or has been hacked. The reporting provides no incident data, exposure estimate, or evidence that the pictured computers were compromised.
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Is that Windows XP on Putin’s desk?
The 2019 photographs were reported as appearing to show Windows XP on computers in Putin’s Kremlin office and Novo-Ogaryovo residence. The identification was attributed to Mikhail Klimaryov through Open Media, rather than to a published forensic analysis.
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Do the photos prove Putin still uses Windows XP?
No. They were discussed in a report published in December 2019 and do not establish the computers’ current configuration or use.
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