Vladimir Putin has transformed Russia into a social pariah, and he’s gone far enough that he’s even lost one of his biggest allies that recently ditched him. However, and even though Russia continues to lose thousands upon thousands of soldiers in Putin’s war on Ukraine, he’s not giving up the fight. Reports have indicated that, one year into this boots-on-the-ground conflict, Putin has dug in his heels for a long haul.
Part of that strategy involves Putin doing a lot of hiding. Given that he allegedly has all of his enemies poisoned, he’s grown completely paranoid and has grown even better at hiding. That’s happened to such a degree that Ukrainian President Zelensky accused him of being a green-screen concoction, so Putin had to provide proof of life. Also, he apparently prepared way back in 2019 with the ultimate hiding-oriented luxury: a secret labyrinth of train tunnels, so he can move between his palaces without detection.
Business Insider relays word from Proekt, a Russian news outlet that dives deep into investigative mode and did a lot of satellite detection and good, old-fashioned footwork. In the process, Proekt discovered private train stations that surface thousands of feet away from Putin’s various luxury homes, including his summer Sochi retreat. These stations (and corresponding secret railway network) span across Russia and were apparently constructed over the past few years. All of this because Putin’s armored train adventures demand even more luxury-secrecy. Here’s more:
[These h]idden stations span across the country, according to the report, which used a combination of investigative reporting, satellite imagery, and sightings to identify elements of the secret railway line in at least three locations.
Near Putin’s palace in Valdai, which is about halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, a reporter identified a guarded railway station in the fall of 2022, the outlet said. The reporter was moved on by a guard when he tried to approach it. The station is in Dolgie Borody, the nearest settlement to Putin’s residence, and has a heliport attached, according to the media outlet. Satellite imagery reviewed by Proekt seemed to indicate that it was built in 2019.
God only knows how much this elaborate web of train tracks cost, and Putin has been maintaining and staffing them while Russians are largely cut off from the world due to sanctions. Heck, they can’t even find paper in some parts of the country. However, Putin still has the resources to hand out fancy Rings Of Power to his dwindling allies. Priorities.
(Via Business Insider)