Apparently out of fear of attack, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin almost never travels by plane. Instead, he is traveling across Russia in an armored train, reports the Russian opposition news website Dossier Center.
Putin has been on track since the start of preparations for the war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of 2021. The online platform refers to an anonymous source who allegedly knows the head of state. Another source close to the Russian presidential administration confirmed the choice of means of transport for the “Dossier Center”.
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One of the main advantages of the train is that Putin can travel from A to B almost imperceptibly, writes the platform. There are several services for observing flight routes, but it is not so easy to track passenger trains. In addition, the presidential train was designed in such a way that it looked very much like the gray carriages of Russian railways.
A Russian Railways high-speed train (symbolic image) © dpa
From the outside, there are only a few clues that betray the presidential movement, says the report. The train would have mounted antennas on the roof, which, however, would be hidden under the shell. In addition, the wagons would have six axles, writes the “Dossier Center”, which suggests strong armor. Normal passenger cars would have four axles.
Presidential train runs non-stop and at high speed
Inside, the special train has a presidential car with a room and office for meetings, a car for attendants and a car for special communications. Additional wagons can be attached as needed.
Recordings of the presidential train are extremely rare, they say. However, boxes that could indicate radio antennas could be seen on the train that Putin used to open rail traffic on the Crimean bridge in December 2019.
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Besides the president, only one other person can use the special train: Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Even the railway company’s schedule will be changed so that top politicians can reach their destination non-stop and at high speed.
According to its own website, the online platform “Dossier Center” is a project of Russian opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He was once the richest man in Russia. With Putin’s election as president in 2012, the then oligarch lost influence. He now lives in exile in London. (teaspoon)
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