Much fuss has been made by the Kremlin over reports that Vladimir Putin has allegedly taken to increasingly hiding in a bunker out of fear for his life during his invasion of Ukraine. In fact, he disappeared from public view for so long that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky challenged him to provide proof of life, after which he miraculously began doing more public events. Yet beyond Putin probably not loving the bunker reports (because he is so manly), it seems that he’s prioritizing a safe little setup for himself. One can expect that to increase after recent drone attacks (which have been neither claimed nor disavowed by Ukraine) on Moscow.
Beyond the already existing pickle-filled compound that has presumably provided a happy escape from the drudgery of being an autocrat, there’s apparently a super-fortified bomb shelter that will soon be in the works, as commissioned by the Kremlin. And Team Putin wants this puppy to go up fast, according to The Moscow Times:
The Kremlin has signed a deal to build a bomb shelter on the grounds of Moscow’s most elite hospital days after unprecedented drone strikes on the Russian capital, according to a procurement contract cited by The Moscow Times’ Russian-language service.
The 800-person bunker for VIP patients and personnel is expected to be constructed at the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital, a protected facility, in near-record time.
The publication notes that the shelter’s design is likely to be approved within 15 days, at which point, construction will presumably begin — and conclude by December 20 — at a steep price equivalent to $433,000. And yes, this appears to be designed with specfic features “for officials under state protection,” so one would assume that this is for Putin and his goons. This will also be a nice little luxury beyond the already existing secret path of train tunnels that materialized right before Putin invaded Ukraine, but I guess civilians will be out of luck in the event of more drone attacks? Sounds like it.
(Via The Moscow Times)