The secrets of Putin’s posh palace

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How paranoid is Vladimir Putin (70)? This question is now easier to answer. Business Insider journalists have revealed that the Kremlin chief has also been preparing for a worst-case scenario at his posh palace in Gelendzhik, Russia’s Krasnodar Territory.

Plans by now-defunct Russian contractor Metrostil show that Putin had two complex tunnels built under the facility. Apparently, the documents were available to everyone on the Russian Internet for a while.

The tunnels are well-fortified and have everything necessary for life: sufficient fresh water, ventilation and an extensive network of cables. This way Putin and any VIP guests can survive for days or weeks.

Command post included

The palace and the underground facilities are connected by an elevator that goes down to a depth of about 50 meters. The two tunnels are on different levels, there is an upper and a lower tunnel. They are about 40 or 60 meters long and 6 meters wide, creating about 6,500 square meters of potentially explosion-proof living space.

The exits of the tunnels are visible just below the palace complex on the steep cliff rising from the beach. Particularly striking: 16 cable ducts are embedded in the wall of the tunnel. They are each about a foot wide and designed for the “line cables” that can carry the power, lighting, copper wire, and fiber optic cables needed for a command post.

That’s what Putin does in the worst case scenario

The Moscow-based company that took over Metrostil and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, 55, are silent on the plans. Business Insider quotes Thaddeus Gabryszewski, a civil engineer familiar with defense who reviewed the plans, “This tunnel system provides all kinds of safety and protection. There’s a fire system. There’s water, there’s sewers. It’s for someone to survive or escape.”

“Putin is very afraid of not being the fully legitimate leader of Russia,” said Michael C. Kimmage, a former State Department official who deals with Russia-Ukraine policy. “Knowing that his legitimacy is not fully guaranteed by elections, he will try to maximize his personal security through a complex of well-defended private residences.” In the worst case scenario, the Russian president can just hide under his posh palace. (nad)

Source: Blick