2023-05-29 12:37:00
Monday, May 29, 2023
For almost two years now, Vladimir Putin has avoided flying as often as possible and instead traveled in a special train. At first glance, the specially made model looks like a normal passenger train, but – as befits the Russian President – has a number of extras.
There are regular rumors about the Kremlin boss: For example, that Vladimir Putin is seriously ill and is represented by doubles at public appearances. People close to the Russian ruler tell of his very cautious, almost paranoid way of life. The “Dossier Center”, a Russian exile medium, has revealed that this is also reflected in the travel behavior of the Russian President.
Since late summer 2021, Putin has been said to avoid planes as often as possible. Instead, he travels through Russia on a special train. Putin changed his travel habits as preparations for the attack on Ukraine began, the Dossier Center writes, citing a source close to the presidential administration.
The Russian journalist Ilya Rozhdestvensky fled Moscow a year and a half ago and researched the story for the “Dossier Center”. In the ntv podcast “Learned again”, he says that there are two main reasons for using the special train: “Firstly, it’s about secrecy. It’s really difficult to follow this train. If you use an airplane, you’re easily seen on flight radar.” By switching to rail, Putin could better cover up his current position and even cause confusion.
“Relatively close to the front line”
The secret train is also used for security, as the Russian investigative reporter explains. The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has further increased the risk of an attack for the Kremlin boss. “Two of Putin’s favorite residences are in Gelendzhik and Sochi. By Russian standards, that’s relatively close to the front line.”
Gelendzhik is less than 400 kilometers from the front in Ukraine and only 140 kilometers from Crimea. “So if you travel there by plane, you can get hit by a missile or a military plane.”
Traveling through Russia by train takes significantly longer than by plane, but is the safer option for the cautious president.
Trainspotter discovers the special train
Mikhail Korotkov was one of the first to notice the special train. Korotkov is a so-called train spotter. These are people who observe and photograph trains in their free time. He told the Washington Post that the train fascinated him as a kind of “ghost train”. With a secret timetable, covered windows and no identifiable locomotive numbers.
As befits a train spotter, Korotkov also took photos of this special train and then published them on his blog. This prompted Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, the FSB, to begin wiretapping Korotkov. Verbatim transcripts of private conversations suddenly appeared under his YouTube videos. “It was very scary for me. I was thinking about my personal safety. I told my parents that my life was in danger.” As a result, Korotkov took his train blog offline, eventually fleeing Russia in September 2022. He now lives in Sri Lanka.
Visually almost an ordinary passenger train
Photos of Putin’s secret train are extremely rare because it is not so easy to spot. At first glance, it looks just like regular passenger trains in Russia. Putin’s means of transport is thus lost in the train jungle between St. Petersburg and Sochi. But there are also details that reveal the special train.
“Ordinary” Russian passenger trains in Moscow.
(Photo: REUTERS)
“Ordinary” Russian passenger trains in Moscow.
(Photo: REUTERS)
“It looks like a normal Russian passenger train, it’s gray with red lines. The two or three locomotives are striking,” says Ilja Rozhdestvensky in the ntv podcast. There are indications that the train is particularly heavily armored to protect against attacks. As a result, the train is particularly heavy and has to be pulled by up to three locomotives.
Encrypted communication equipment is installed on the roofs of the carriages, according to the Dossier Center article. “Individual devices look like an air conditioner, but they are a type of antenna used for the president’s secure communications to communicate with his government and law enforcement agencies,” reports reporter Rozhdestvensky.
Does Putin even use a secret route network?
In addition to the special technical equipment, the special train has other advantages: it and its occupants enjoy absolute priority and do not have to consider other trains. Thus, he can drive through to his destination without stopping.
In the meantime there were even rumors about a secret route network for Putin to be able to cover the huge distances within Russia safely and quickly. The linear distance from southern Sochi to Moscow alone is more than 1,300 kilometers, to St. Petersburg it is another 600 kilometers.
A completely secret route network over such distances? Roschdestwenski’s research also shows that it is unlikely to impossible. Accordingly, Putin uses the regular route network for his train journeys, but uses “secret train stations”. “He’s probably the only passenger for these stations.”
The secret platforms are said to be in the immediate vicinity of Putin’s most important residences: near his summer residence in Sochi, right in the center of Moscow, near St. Petersburg and also in Valday, where one of his favorite palaces is located. The well-monitored stations enable the Kremlin boss to use his secret train without attracting too much attention.
Little is known about the interior of the train. It is believed that he has both a study and a meeting room, both of which are quite extravagantly furnished. The special train goes well with the magnificent residences that Putin otherwise inhabits.
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