Putin uses armoured train for security reasons since beginning of war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been increasingly using an armoured train for long-distance trips to his residences, which he switched to in the spring of 2021. 

Source: investigation of the Dossier Center 

Quote: "Vladimir Putin started using an armoured train in the fall of 2021, when the Russian army began to actively prepare for the invasion of Ukraine. After the start of the war, he rides it more and more often, especially to his favourite residence in Valdai."

Details: Reportedly, Putin may have started favouring an armoured train for security reasons. Unlike airplanes, it is more difficult to track a train because there are no services for tracking passenger trains in real time.

In addition, the two residences of the Russian president, which he visits, are located on the Black Sea coast, where flights are restricted due to the war.

The story says that the armoured train has a car with a bedroom and a workplace, a car for accompanying personnel and a car for special communications.

Outwardly, the armoured train is similar to a regular train, only instead of four axles it has six, instead of one locomotive — several, and special equipment is placed on the roof.

Journalists found out that the special train matching the description belongs to the Grand Service Express company, which was owned by an offshore company associated withvYuriy Kovalchuk, the associate of the Russian President, and businessman Mikhail Rabinovich, who is called a good acquaintance of Kovalchuk.

Putin was photographed aboard of the armoured train only once in 2012, before it was repaired. Photographs of the outside of the train have never been officially published.

The journalists also calculated the approximate cost of the armoured train. According to their estimates, it can cost a little more than 1 billion Russian roubles [roughly US$ 13.5 million].

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