Vladimir Putin may have inadvertently revealed where he plans to escape if he has to quit the Kremlin in a hurry.
And it appears the Russian tyrant has raided his own army for vital military resources to ensure he remains safe in the event of a revolt.
The Kremlin leader leaves nothing to chance when it comes to his own security and is renowned for disappearing in moments of crisis.
During last year’s Wagner rebellion, Putin is believed to have left Moscow in a panic and to have headed to his luxury estate in northwestern Russia.
Former Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky said contacts told him the Russian strongman had most likely made a beeline for his Valdai residence, located 250 miles from the capital between the Tver and Novgorod regions.
Now new satellite mages show the residence heavily protected by Russian air defence systems, seemingly confirming the property is indeed Putin’s bolt-hole of choice in the event of an uprising.
Satellite imagery collected on May 6 indicates that Russian forces have concentrated at least seven Pantsir-1 medium-range air defence systems around the property.
Analysts believe the Pantsirs were installed in March of this year, as Kremlin beefed up security for its boss.
This was done despite Russia‘s army being in desperate need of more air defence systems as it struggles to defend the country from daily Ukrainian drone strikes.
The Kremlin’s generals have been unable to protect all critical facilities within western Russia and have even struggled to cover important potential targets in reportedly well-defended areas.
Putin’s Vladai residence is situated in a compound on a forested peninsula separating Lake Valdai from Lake Uzhin.
Covering 100-hectares, the complex consists of some 80 buildings – ranging from Putin’s mansion to guesthouses, rustic wood cabins, a Chinese pavilion, a state-of-the-art spa complex and an exquisitely constructed Russian Orthodox church.
Putin’s 38,000-square-foot mansion is an object lesson in extravagance and luxury, with no expense seemingly spared to ensure the comfort and wellbeing of Russia‘s commander-in-chief.
It boasts opulent rooms designed to resemble those of the Winter Palace in its hey day as the main residence of the Romanov tsars before the 1917 revolution.
Putin’s silver living room is graced with a reproduction Louis XVI three-piece suite, heavy shiny grey curtains and a glittering chandelier.
The Kremlin leaders paranoia about his safety may actually be well founded, given the recent remarks of Ukraine‘s military intelligence boss.
Kyrylo Budanov told a Ukrainian TV channel that he was aware of several unsuccessful attempts to assassinate the Russian tyrant since the outbreak of the war.